Kap's Sukko Collection
by Kaponos
Summary: A collection of unconnected one-shots about my favourite pairing! Feel free to suggest anything for the next chapter!
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Welcome back friends! And welcome to my oneshot collection!_**

 ** _Whereas Day after Day was loosely connected and followed a continuity, each chapter of this will be entirely free to be whatever you or I want! That said absolutely feel free to send me suggestions or prompts for whatever situation you would like to see these two get into, as that cuts away a huge timesink for me and I can focus more on actually writing. You request anything, be it a chapter set in some of my other stories' worlds or an Au you would like to see._**

 ** _Apologies_** ** _for the lateness of this. I had said Monday but there was a large writers block in the way._**

 ** _I hope the wait was worth it friends! Enjoy!_**

* * *

Sucy Manbavaran never learned to ride a bike.

It wasn't from a failure to learn, rather that the opportunity had never arisen in her troubled childhood. Her birth parents hadn't given enough of a damn to raise her let alone give her a bike, and Ramzan was far too old world and mystical to even consider the idea of mortal transportation.

As one might expect, Akko was floored.

"Never?! This is a crime!" She shouted, hopping off of the couch to invade the alchemist's personal space, grasping her friend's baggy sweater with both hands.

The girl had no control over her own strength, shaking Sucy like a ragdoll as she cried out dramatically. "To ride a bike is to live! The closest someone like me gets to flying!"

"A-A-A-k-k-k-o-o-o!" Sucy loved the brunette to death, she really did, but one can only take so much shaking before they get whiplash. Chopping her right hand downwards across Akko's arms, the alchemist freed herself, taking a large step back.

"Cut it out!" She shouted, straightening out the bunched up fabric and twisting her neck to check for any injuries. "What have I told you about touching me?"

The brunette deflated, looking sadly at the ground like a naughty child after being scolded. Her pink lips were pouted cutely and Sucy felt her hard skip in spite of herself.

"Not unless you do first..."

The alchemist nodded with a grin, pressing her palm against the top of the girl's head. "That's a good girl. Now talk to me normally like a real person does."

Moving her gaze up to a side glance, Akko stuttered with a light flush. "R-Riding a bike is just... s-such an important part of your childhood..."

She looked up at the alchemist when the weight of a hand on her head was accompanied by a slow back and forth of her friend's thumb. She was smiling softly, though there was a sadness in her single red eye, the mask she had cultivated over a decade failing her.

"Well I didn't have a childhood remember?"

Akko looked back down at the floor for a moment, guilt clawing at her heart. It had taken the alchemist a very long time to open up enough to share her past, but Akko remembered the moment well: it was an hour of tears and hugs as Sucy recounted her lonely history.

They slept together on the couch that night, neither wanting to leave the others side and both requiring comfort.

But a new determined fire flowered up from that sorrow, a fire that demanded the brunette to do everything in her power to patch up those scars; make Sucy smile.

"We can have one right now!" She suddenly cried, surprising the other witch with the change in energy, causing the hand to lift off from her head, no more head pats for the time being.

Sucy blinked twice, relegating the neural processing power required to understand the energetic witch's chaotic mind. "Have what?"

The brunette leaned in to supply the answer herself. "A childhood!" She said with a bright beaming smile. "I'll teach you how to ride a bike!"

And that was how she ended up sitting atop a bright pink bicycle in the middle of an empty parking lot. Despite her insistence that a broom was a far better mode of transportation, Akko would not let up, utilizing the deadliest of puppy dog stares until the alchemist crumbled.

Sucy could barely keep the bike stable, choosing to lean from one foot to the other in a sort of walk rather than bite the bullet and try to pedal.

"You can do it Sucy!" Akko was beside her the entire time, holding onto the back of the bikeseat and using her abnormal strength to stop the bike from tipping. "I've got you!"

Back at Luna Nova, Sucy was well known for her dauntless nature, always keeping that bored expression during even the most dangerous circumstances, but taking that leap and lifting her feet off of the ground ignited a deep seated anxiety in the alchemist.

Handing her safety over to an inanimate object required a level of trust she had never given to anyone. If she wasn't in control of her own fate, she was in danger.

 _'You don't need to trust anyone but Akko. She's holding on tight, isn't she?'_

Looking to her side, Sucy found the brunette standing right beside her, one hand firmly gripping the seat; a serious expression and a goofy thumbs up pointed in her direction. The way she treated this moment was more akin to the launch of an expensive rocket rather than a hundred something dollar bike from 2011.

She huffed a laugh before manning up and tightening her grip on the handlebars, lifting one sneaker up off the ground to rest on a pedal. _'She may be an idiot, but she's my idiot. I trust her.'_

"You better not let go of me." The alchemist warned, side eyeing her friend with a threatening glare. "Or I'll throw all of the pickled plums we own into the garbage."

Akko nodded grievously, slowly beginning to push the bike forwards, forcing the pedals to turn beneath her friend's feet.

The poison master sat tense atop the bikeseat, slowly following the movement of the bike's gears, moving her legs up and down with the pedals as they turned. As the brunette pushed her, Sucy began to get a proper feel for the technique, and once her the chorus of goading voices in her head became too noisy, she took the initiative; cycling the pedals herself.

They began moving faster, Akko having to transition over to a light jog in order to keep up her tight grip. "You're doing it Sucy! Now turn this corner!" She had a bright beaming smile on her face, and Sucy felt an odd degree of pride at her praise.

At the time she had chocked it up to simple competitive spirit- 'If Akko can do it, so can I' -but looking back, it was too warm a feeling to have roots in envy.

The end of the day had the two girls riding a magically altered bicycle back to the house, enjoying a simple length of quiet together as the world turned orange around them.

"You did let go of me at one point." The alchemist teased from the back seat with a large grin and eyes sparkling, both from mischievous glee and the warm honey glow of a setting sun.

Akko met her friend's gaze with the most crushed and horrified expression, like a small child that had just been told Santa Claus wasn't real. Her lip pouted out cutely and a stray voice in the back of the alchemist's brain told her to kiss it away.

That voice was promptly silenced.

"But I'm not cruel enough to punish you for merely tripping." The tension released from Akko's shoulders and she smiled, turning back to actually look where the bike was headed.

"I'll just have you 'help out' with my latest recipe again."

And the tension was back.

Sucy cackled, resting her cheek on the brunette's back and hugging her just a bit tighter around her middle.

All in all, it was a good day.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Ahh some good ol' fashioned canon tsundere Sucy. I wanted this chapter to be able to slot in easily with established canon while still being gay. Think of this as being set after they graduate, a little bit older and a little bit closer.**_

 ** _A Rose in Winter continues to be fuckin delayed. Apologies again, but I actually lost the entirety of the next chapter and am currently rewriting it. Windows 10 is a functional piece of software._**


	2. A Beast in the Woods

_**A/N: Good evening friends, and welcome back! This chapter is slightly based on fanart by teriyaki-deer on tumblr and scrapped ideas for A Rose in Winter. This gets a little angsty and has not as much gay, so I might just make part 2 to this next week or the week after and make it moreso. Let me know if that appeals to you.**_

 _ **Reynabot: Thank you friend! I'm glad you enjoyed.**_

 _ **ThatFanFicGuy: Hah well I'll be doing this for a long time, so there's plenty of opportunity for you to come up with new ones! Thank you very much friend! And I did end up finishing the chapter, I think it turned out better than the original copy!**_

 ** _Enjoy friends!_**

* * *

Deep within a dense wood, where no sunlight could pierce the canopy, a great beast slept. Its obsidian scales shimmered in the low bioluminecence of the forest floor, mushrooms of various shapes and sizes glowing an incredibly dim blue.

Great wings of abyssal black folded against the dragon's hide, for even the tallest of ancient trees could not compare to the sheer size of their span.

Its breathing could be heard for miles, deep and full like an oncoming typhoon, gallons of air filling lungs the size of horses. Local wildlife in the region fled from the sound, leaving the forest disturbingly quiet save for the breaths of an apex predator and the grass crunching beneath the boots of the only other living thing nearby.

A young woman no older than 16 nervously trudged through the underbrush, a sword and shield held tightly in her clammy hands. Her bright red eyes jumped from place to place, irrationally fearful of what could be stalking her in an empty forest.

"J-Just a little further..." She muttered to herself, moving slowly towards the source of the wind, each step shaky and hesitant; though it was cold so deep within, the girl found herself sweating.

Finally she came to what would have been a clearing, if the branches of the other trees weren't so mindbogglingly large; even with many of them destroyed or burnt away, not a single beam of sun could be seen.

What the girl had initially thought to be a natural rock formation or boulder, was- upon further inspection -her target: The great black dragon lay still in front of her, slowly breathing in and out as it dreamt of destruction.

If she could kill it in its sleep, she would be heralded as a hero, it would be so easy to just strike right then but...

Her arms just wouldn't move. Her legs weren't responsive either.

She was afraid.

This fear robbed her of the only possible chance she had as the next time she blinked, her eyes opened to meet another. Blood red with a large slit down the middle it watched the intruder, quietly peering deeper and deeper until the girl's very soul quivered.

"Another blind lamb finds its way to the slaughter?"

She couldn't breathe. The beast had spoken to her, in a voice recognizable as female and in perfect English.

"And I see they've equipped the sacrifice this time... What a cruel joke."

The dragon raised up to a seated position, towering over its new prey and eyeing her with an unreadable emotion.

The sword and shield in the girl's hands felt incredibly heavy at that moment and she suddenly remembered their purpose.

"I-I-I'm n-not a s-sacri- sacrifice!" She stuttered uselessly to the beast's amusement. "I-I am S-S-Squire Ka- S-Squire Akko Kagari! And I- um..."

A toothy maw was suddenly shoved into her face; the dragon was smiling.

"You're here to slay me? Is that right?" Her- the squire assumed her -voice was double sided in its emotion, equal parts amusement and pity.

Akko nodded, raising her shield to hide all but her eyes. "I- I'm gonna s-slay you and-"

A heavy tail suddenly slapped against her tiny steel shield, sending her flying back into a tree stump. Nonchalantly stomping over to the fallen squire, the dragon leaned in even closer than before, her voice dropping to a gravely murmur.

"Your people didn't send you all the way out here to kill me." She began, puffing hot air out of her nose to blow the hair out of the terrified girl's eyes. "They've sent battalions of their very strongest, with only one survivor hand picked by myself to return with the news."

Squire Kagari gulped, realizing where the serpent was going with her line of thinking, eyes widening in horror, burning a hole into the grass in front of her.

"You were sent _as a sacrifice_. _A meal_ to placate me into staying in this forest."

Akko looked up sorrowfully into the face of death, at the single red eye that was not covered by horn; she felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Those she trusted and called friends, those she looked up too, had left her for dead, not even having the enough decency to tell her the truth.

In a world that had abandoned her, the only thing left was to accept her fate, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall freely.

The dragon looked disgusted, pulling back and turning her snout up. "Don't start crying you baby, I'm not going to eat you."

"W-What?" Tossing acceptance into the garbage, Akko looked back up at the dragon, wide-eyed and confused.

The dragon looked at her like she was an idiot, eyes drooping and posture slouching. "Why would I want to eat some scrawny kid? They usually send someone with more muscle; meat."

"I mean look at you." She began with a huff that almost sounded like laughter, blowing hot air against the squire's legs poignantly. "The most muscle I can find is down here but that's not enough to satisfy anything other than my sense of aesthetics."

It look an eternity and a half for Akko to process the dragon's words before she realized that the great beast was both insulting and complimenting her one after the other. She was still reeling from the sudden removal of death from the equation and found herself accidentally allowing thoughts to spill from her mouth.

"C-Can I stay h-here?!"

The beast had curled back up and closed its eyes by the time this happened, fully expecting the young squire to have already run away in fear. The sudden innocent question caught her off guard, her left eye creaking open to meet the girl's own pair of rubies.

"I said I don't want to eat you; that doesn't mean I like you." She huffed, slapping her tail against the ground twice.

Akko stood shakily, dropping her sword and tossing her shield away to be forgotten amongst the tall grass. "But.. The p-people in my village sent me to die; l-lied to me... and..."

She stood next to the beast now, eyes taking in the beauty of its deep purple scales, hands begging to reach out and touch them. "It m-must be lonely out here..."

 _'Lonely is one word for it'_ The dragon mused, watching a mushroom pulse with a melancholic blue glow.

"I-I can be useful!" Akko cried when the dragon closed her eyes without responding. "I can go hunting for you!" She scrambled over the dragon's body to the pile of abandoned weapons her hopeful new friend was sat curled around and picking up a rather elaborate bow.

"You? Hunt? That would be rather funny." The dragon chuckled raising her neck to look down upon the weapon cache, her maw curling at the edges in an almost smile, interlocking sets of razor sharp teeth shimmering in the low light of the forest.

"And you might just do better at hiding from the elk."

Visibly brightening, Akko nodded furiously up and down hugging the dragon's tail tightly before sitting down to scrounge around for arrows in the pile. "I'll do my best Miss Dragon!"

The squire's joyful tone of voice caused a strange warm feeling within the dragon's chest cavity, like fireflies buzzing around.

It was odd, but not unpleasant.

She had heard stories of dragons kidnapping fair maidens and keeping them in their lairs, but she would have never imagined that one would willingly waltz into hers and ask to stay.

Maybe the next seventy years wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

 _ **A/N: And Squire Kagari was never heard from again by any human being. I always love those subversion stories of maidens being sent as sacrifice but then staying out of choice when the dragon doesn't want to eat her. Thats some good cliche romancey shit.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Did you know that both Yuri!Sucy and Dragon!Sucy show a different eye to the rest of the Sucy's? It's true! While normal Sucy always has her left eye hidden, her super gay and dragon forms both reveal that eye, perhaps to symbolize that this is who she truly is under the mask.**_

 ** _As always let me know how it was and share your ideas for future chapters!_**


	3. A Girl in the Woods

_**A/N: Welcome back! This week I decided to add a bit more gay shit to this dragon in the woods AU so hopefully that isn't too disappointing. I just really like writing fantasy stuff with these two.**_

 _ **Queen Sydon: Thank you very much my friend! Indeed! It's a concept that I also quite enjoy: moving past predetermined stigmas and scary interiors to find love makes that good lovey dovey shit that I overdose on constantly. The cop idea sounds quite interesting! I will put that on the list! Thanks!**_

 _ **Magicantix: Well here you go friend! More lesbian dragon! I'm glad you enjoy it! I think I will in the future do more with that giving Sucy a proper childhood idea, there's some good story ideas floating around in here! Thanks!**_

 _ **Shigiya: FRIENDSHIP ENDED WITH HUMANS, DRAGON IS MY NEW GIRLFRIEND.**_

 _ **TheOdaMan: Thank you friend! Ever since that sleeping beauty shit trigger pulled in episode 8, medieval AUs just fit with this pairing.**_

 _ **A Potato: Thank you very much friend! I'm so glad you enjoyed.**_

 _ **Guest: Thank you so much my friend! You're awesome too!**_

 _ **Some Random Dude: Hahah I did know that! Yuri!Sucy is all around a really cool concept and piece of Sucy's cognition. I would love to write more stuff including her! And I agree! It gives you just enough to draw your own conclusions and lets the fans run with it from there!**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

Time tended be difficult to determine in a place that never got any brighter or darker, but if Akko had to guess, it had been roughly a week since the great serpent had allowed her to stay.

Sucy.

That's what the beast asked to be called when 'Miss Dragon' wasn't good enough for her overly social new companion.

"You humans care too much about names." She had scoffed, curling back up around her pile of sharp metal and leaving the girl to her chores.

Indeed, Atsuko wasn't staying with the dragon for free, there was a large list of things she had to do every day: remove the fallen leaves and twigs from Sucy's scales, go hunting for dinner, gather any scraps of metal or abandoned weapons she could find along the way.

She never asked about the weapon pile she was slowly adding to; dragon's were fiercely protective of their hoards after all. The brunette was lucky to be allowed to borrow the bow, and had to run after missed arrows to retrieve them as Sucy's later conditions dictated.

Bending down to pick up one of said missed arrows, Akko sighed. She had chosen a bow at complete random, with absolutely no prior knowledge or experience with the weapon; it showed.

Her first kill hadn't even been using the arrows, just a single overzealous swing to a deer's head with the steel limb. The guilty weight in her chest when the animal laid still cemented the moment as her worst achievement.

It took an immense amount of walking to locate any signs of life in the forest, and though it was difficult to differentiate one tree from another, Akko could always find her way back by the echoing vibration of the dragon's snoring.

Hours passed since she set out, and with only a single rabbit to show for it. As instructed to when her hunts gave small game, the brunette scrounged around the forest floor for fungi of a very specific shade; the same colour as the sunset just before night swallowed all, a slightly purple shade of blue.

"I'd rather not have to eat something like this, but we both need calories." The great beast huffed as her guest popped three of the shrooms in her maw, stepping back as she reared up and breathed an ethereal blue mist over the fallen animal.

The resulting meal was filling sure, but tasted airy and diluted, like a fruit that had been peeled and left to soak in the river.

It didn't feel good when she failed to procure a decently sized meal; Sucy stomached her presence, allowed her to huddle close when the lack of sun became chilling, and deserved better than bland rabbit meat. But the idea of going back to the humans alone didn't appeal either; she was expected to die, not crawl back and beg for food.

Her brooding was interrupted upon returning to the clearing however: the great beast was not slumbering in her usual spot, instead irritably rubbing her long neck against a dead tree.

Smelling her servant's arrival Sucy groaned, stomping over to the squire's side and presenting the offending spot. "Scratch. Now." She demanded, sitting down with a thud that shook the canopy above.

It was a sudden and rather scary call, causing Akko to drop her bow and kill, rushing to the beast's side. "Here?" She questioned, placing a hand on one of the large obsidian scales for Sucy to give further direction.

"Left... No, more." She ordered, neck muscles twitching slightly under the scaly skin. "Now down... scratch there."

Nervously moving her fingers up and down, Akko relieved her companion of the dastardly itch, a steady vibration moving up the brunette's arm as the dragon hummed in contented pleasure.

By her old understanding, dragons didn't usually make such sounds, instead sticking to deep growls and ear shattering roars. Perhaps it was because of her abnormally long exposure, but Atsuko found herself rethinking things that were once common knowledge.

Dragons were said to be fierce and aggressive, but Sucy was more lazy than anything, spending most of her time curled up around her weapon hoard and sleeping; almost purring at a scratch to her neck like a giant coldblooded cat.

"We should grow things to add to our food." The brunette thought aloud ten minutes later as she sat against Sucy, one hand turning the meat above the fire and the other lazily petting the beast's newfound favourite spot.

The dragon hummed before remembering herself and making a soft coughing noise. "Don't you need sunlight for that?" She teased half-assedly. "And gardening skill?"

Akko redoubled her scratching efforts in order to silence the sassy lizard, smiling when her eyes fell shut and nostrils blew a sigh of smoldering hot air.

"We could knock down some of the trees and create an actual clearing?" She offered with a slight shrug, taking the makeshift rotisserie off of the fire and sticking the end in the ground to cool. "I would need seeds from somewhere though..."

Sucy huffed impassively like she usually did when anxious or grumpy, though this time round didn't force the human girl to sit somewhere else. It was not until she was partway finished with her magically enlarged feast that the dragon responded.

"We could go into one of the nearby towns..." Sucy murmured, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of her own suggestion. "I could cause a distraction and you could steal seed packets."

The squire turned her head, looking at the way the dragon's large black scales gave way to smaller purple ones. "Is..." She started with hesitation, carefully moving her hand closer to Sucy's head. "Is that safe? I don't want them to hurt you..."

Their eyes met, two wide red rubies to one, and a tense silence hung in the air like thick fog. Sucy's face was unreadable, her visible eye continually moving as if searching for something on the girl's face- deception maybe; malice that wasn't there.

Two puffs of air, sounding like a chuckle of sorts escaped the dragon's nostrils, a slight tweak at the edge of her lips revealing that it was at least partly comprised of joy.

"You're cute." The beast said suddenly, grasping Akko's shirt with her front teeth and lifting the girl onto her back. "But no puny human is getting past these scales."

Akko giggled, leaning forward to hug as much of the dragon as possible. "I guess that makes me pretty special then?"

A heavy sigh, sounding oddly wistful entered the girl's ear through the body beneath her. It had only been a little over a week, and here she was laying atop a deadly beast, closer than any human had ever been before.

"I guess you are."

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'm on a time constraint so no endnote here lel. kthxiloveyouallbye**_


	4. Sunshine

_**A/N: Welcome back to something disgustingly fluffy. This week's chapter comes at the suggestion of d-upscandoc who asked for some more married fluff! I am more than happy to oblige, this stuff flows out like sarcasm from a Sucy. Send in your suggestions to help me out on the next chapter!**_

 _ **Silvers07: Dude don't tempt me. I already have two stories up. But if people would like more I can continue it in later chapters of this work! Thank you for the kind words!**_

 _ **Magicantix: That's the dream! Akko's little garden, the only place in the forest where the sun shines. YouseeitsametaphorforhowAkkoisSucy'slightinthedarkness. I'm very glad you enjoyed friend!**_

 _ **A Potato: That would be fuckin hysterical. The villagers send Akko as a sacrifice and she comes waltzing back into the village on the back of the dragon, giving it affectionate rubs and it reciprocating. Thank you very much!**_

 _ **Queen Sydon: Cats are the tsunderes of the wild, so its only natural for Sucy to be easily comparable to one. Scritches are a well studied way to render kitties passive and it seems gay dragons are no different. No, thank you! I love writing for you all and hearing your responses! I'm so glad you continue to enjoy. I hope this fluff is equally enjoyable!**_

 _ **Enjoy friends!**_

* * *

A rhythmic beeping yanked Sucy from the empty void of unconsciousness, revealing the backs of her eyelids as the first sight of the day. Her wife's warm face pressed against her neck, nuzzling deeper as the discordant alarm pulled her sweet dreams out of reach.

"Nnngh... Sucy..." The brunette groaned. "Turn it off..."

While her left arm apologetically squeezed Akko tighter, the alchemist's right clumsily waved around for the snooze button, eventually slamming down with a satisfying click.

Another day, another dollar.

Sucy stared at the wall nearest the door, at the pattern of light their blinds created on its light blue surface. Illuminated by the bands of sunshine, her own face stared back, smiling bright with a brunette who's smile outmatched the rays of morning by a lightyear.

She would never forget how it felt that day: the sheer disbelief at having made it so far- afraid that after crawling out of that dark abyss to see the sunlight, she would slip and tumble back down.

But she never did. Not with someone she loved so dearly holding on tight.

Akko whined as her other half moved to get up, weakly trying to pull her back down to the pillows. "Do you really have to open up so early..? I need more affection.."

A chuckle vibrated through Sucy's chest and she bent down to lay a kiss against the brunette's chocolate bangs. "I really do, bunny. I have to be up at the same time as my demographic."

The pout on the other woman's face made the edges of the alchemist's lips tweak upward: no matter how many years passed by, Atsuko Kagari refused to act her age.

Removing herself from her wife's grip, Sucy sat up, stretching towards the ceiling. "I'm gonna turn on the kettle, do you want me to make you a cup?"

The brunette rolled over onto her stomach, snuggling into the spot where her love used to sleep. She groaned a long creaking tone, mulling over the conciliatory offer with great agony.

"I guess so..." She finally sighed, looking up at Sucy with wide puppydog eyes: one last pitiful attempt to seduce her wife back to bed. "No caffeine please; I'm going back to sleep after you've set up."

The alchemist was only gone for a minute or two before re-entering the bedroom and scooping up the outfit the brunette had laid out the night before. She could hear Akko shuffle around in the blankets behind her as she slipped out of her nightgown, and once her jeans were sitting comfortably around her hips, Sucy turned to see her love falling partway off the bed.

"How are you this useless in the morning?" Sucy giggled in disbelief. "I fall asleep after you do." Shoving both arms into her cardigan, the alchemist bent down to help her dearest to the ground safely, protecting her vulnerable neck from stress.

"I am your wife." The brunette grumbled when she was upright, moving to sit up with both legs folded under her. "You need to respect my needs."

The alchemist chuckles died down, replaced with only a sly grin. "I 'respected your needs' pretty well the other day, wouldn't you agree?"

A light pink flush blossomed at the tips of Akko's ears, causing her to avert her gaze with another grumpy pout. "Then maybe its your fault I'm so tired all the time."

Sharp gleaming teeth sparkled in the morning sunlight as Sucy grinned, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "I can live with that..." Kisses were usually enough to pull Akko from whatever grumpy slump she fell into and this time was no exception, her frown fighting against the upward curl of a lovestruck smile.

"Now come on, get up." The alchemist stood, offering out both hands to her other half and wiggling her fingers. "No more pouting little guinea pig."

Together, and with a little bit of cheeky poking by Sucy, the pair shuffled into the kitchen where an angry kettle whistled away. The brunette sat down on the stool, stuffing her hands under her bottom and kicking her long legs childishly: an action that made a warm genuine smile crease her wife's lips.

In the nearly two decades she had known the woman, not a night went by where Sucy didn't see those threadbare red shorts covering the brunette's pelvis.

 _"They protect me from nightmares." She had beamed one night in their fourth year, patting a hand down twice on her thigh. "Plus they're comfy."_

 _Sucy snorted, grinning at the way Akko's brows dipped in response. "It doesn't seem to be working, if all those nights sneaking into my bed are any indication."_

 _"That is purely practical!" The brunette cried defensively. "You're the scariest thing around, no monster would be stupid enough to risk waking you."_

 _Too easy. "But you are?" But the resulting glare was completely worth it._

Methodically dipping both teabags into their respective cups, Sucy puffed a laugh at the memory as the brunette looked up from her wife's working fingers to her eyes.

"Something funny?" Akko asked, resting her cheek on a fist.

"Yeah. You." The alchemist answered simply, leaning over the counter to kiss her dearest on the nose. "You're the joke that never gets old."

Fiddling with the ring on her fourth finger, the brunette raised her eyebrow, lips curled upward. "I'm glad you feel that way, or else Constanze would cry."

A hard to read smile was the alchemist's only response as she gently pushed Akko's steaming cup towards the other edge of the counter; taking her own around the island and out into the living room. She beckoned her wife to join her, pulling back the blinds that covered their balcony's glass door before carefully sitting down on the couch.

Akko followed her lead, tucking her legs beneath herself and snuggling close. Looking out as the rising sun crested over buildings in the distance, the brunette rested her head on her love's shoulder and closed her eyes.

The pair sat in comfortable silence, letting the tea warm their cores and light warm their faces. Sucy often compared her wife to the sun: bright, warm, her smiles tearing through darkness both internal or otherwise. But where the ball of fire in the sky could scorch and burn, Akko's smiles could do nothing but heal.

Whenever dark twisted memories locked her in her mind, torturing her with things that never happened or worse, those that did, the brunette hugged her softly and smiled, becoming a lighthouse to guide her to shore.

It wasn't until soft snores reached the alchemist's ears that she realized how long they had been sitting, time passing by in the blink of an eye. Akko had fallen asleep on her shoulder, after seemingly placing both of their empty mugs on the coffee table and wrapping her arms around the puce witch's arm.

Some effort was required to pry the oddly strong woman off of her arm, but eventually Akko was laid back down and tucked in to the chin. "Mmm... have a good day..." Came the brunette's last coherent thought as her wife kissed away her last ties to the waking world.

Sucy smiled down at her, brushing a lock of chocolate brown from her eyes.

"As long as its with you..." She began, turning to look at the ball of fire sitting in the sky before looking back at a light infinitely brighter and more beautiful.

"Every day is a good day."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Sucy that's really gay._**

 ** _Man I'm a sucker for fics, shows, and whatever that's just two characters living life. Like that one show where Jesus and the Buddha are fuckin roomies. It's so easy to channel that through these married chapters. I love it._**

 ** _Sucy and Akko also just fit eachother really well? Even if they aren't in a relationship I can see them after the show renting a place together. Give me some prompts for domestic shit and I'll be on that in a heartbeat._**

 ** _Anyway I'm tired now. Goodnight!_**


	5. Of Bikes and Bunnies

_**A/N: Whew finally complete! I had a little bit of trouble this week deciding what I wanted to do for this chapter. It ended up being some good ol fashion potion testing in a married life setting. I hope it came out right!**_

 _ **A Potato: It really is a natural idea isn't it! Before this happy idiot she was cold, empty, and alone; by the end, nearly a year later, Akko's warmth has melted through the ice and shes initiating hugs. Beautiful and incredibly gay. Heh, perhaps if someone requests it I'll do a borderline chapter again either earlier in their relationship or super far in. There will**_ _ **be**_ **_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) abound. I'm glad you enjoyed!_**

 _ **d-upscandoc: Anytime friend! Let me know when you have another idea! I would be glad to oblige.**_

 ** _DuwangChew: No problems friend! I understand completely! My works will always be waiting. I would love to read anything you write! I'm rooting for you!_**

 ** _Enjoy friends!_**

* * *

There wasn't a large percentage of professions in the world- magical or otherwise -that utilized gas masks as a common tool, but Sucy Manbavaran wasn't known for following societal norms. With careful precision the alchemist simultaneously squeezed the two pipettes, allowing the liquids within to combine with those already bubbling away inside of her beaker with a fizzle.

A violent yellow cloud blew forth from the glass container, up into the witch's face and then further to be absorbed by a large potted fungus that hung from the ceiling.

Placing both implements in separate glass dishes, Sucy lifted the beaker, swishing around its contents until the colours swirled and combined into a dull purple. With enough mixing, the potion's churning and bubbling ceased leaving her with a still liquid with the consistency of slightly whipped cream.

Pulling the gas mask up and off of her head, the alchemist stood, using a clean pipette to take a small amount of her newly mixed batch with her out of the room.

"Akko!" She called towards the front of the store where she had last left her wife.

Surprisingly, the attention impaired brunette had not moved from her spot, her legs crossed atop the counter and her nose shoved into a book. Years ago, Sucy would have laughed at the notion that Atsuko would ever simply sit down and read, but times changed, and so do people.

The chocolate haired woman turned her head and smiled brightly at her love, ruby red eyes sparkling in the afternoon sun. "What's up?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the purple substance the alchemist was holding.

"Open up." Sucy ordered simply, poking the pipette at her wife's lips. "I want you to try this."

Without questioning further, Akko brought her legs down and opened her mouth, sticking out her tongue with a goofy crinkle of her nose. The pale purple liquid touched her backmost tastebuds on the way down and she detected its bitterness with a cringe.

"What is it?" She only asked after it had gone down fully, pressing a hand to her stomach to feel for any sudden changes.

The alchemist's always lidded eyes opened up fully, her tongue sticking out to mimic her wife's earlier facial movement. "A loooooove poootioooonn!" She wailed in a ghostly fashion, wiggling her fingers before a shuddering laugh caused her mask to crack into a genuine smile.

Akko smiled as well, bringing her bottom lip into her mouth to bite down lightly.

"I don't think I'm the best candidate for it." She droned, continuing the nonsensical joke by hopping off the chair, sashaying provocatively towards the alchemist to wrap her arms around her lover's neck. "How would you know if anything was different?"

Sucy hummed, leaning in to press their foreheads together. "I don't think I could, you're insatiable as is..."

A giggle bubbled from the brunette's lips, her flushed face falling down to rest on her love's shoulder. Though incredibly flirtatious, Akko

"How do you feel, bunbun?" The alchemist questioned, lifting her arms to wrap around Akko's shoulders . "Try to be detailed."

"Hmmm..." She mused, the vibrations from her mouth tickling the alchemist's skin. "Blood feels a little colder."

Sucy nodded, checking off the list in her mind as Akko named the different sensations. Colder blood, a feeling of restlessness, relaxed and stringy muscles; all the intended effects so far.

Now all she needed was a field test.

"I can close up shop for today if you want to go for a bike ride." The alchemist offered, smirking at the way her wife's eyes lit up, like a dog hearing the jingling of a leash.

"Yes yes yes! Lets go!" Akko released her love's neck and spun away with her arms up to the sky, bright sunny smile sending beams of light shimmering through the store, refracting through potion flasks and visibly increasing the brightness of the room.

It had been months since they last went out on a bike ride together, busy schedules making it hard enough to find time to simply sit down and watch a movie. Additionally, though Akko was famously full of energy, in her excitement she would often tire herself out early in the ride, leaving the alchemist to pedal them both back on her own.

That wouldn't be a problem this time.

As expected, as soon as they left the shop and were situated atop the extended seat, Akko was burning rubber, screaming down the road at breakneck pace, weaving in and out of the stray pedestrians simply trying to enjoy the afternoon sun.

Sucy simply held on tight, hugging her arms around her wife's waist and watching her closely for any failure of the elixir. So far, everything was going smoothly: not a single bead of sweat anywhere on the brunette's face, despite the energy she was burning through.

"Why don't you take us to the park hey?" She suggested, leaning close to Akko's ear to make herself heard over the roaring wind; causing an involuntary shiver to travel up the woman's spine. "We can travel around the bike loop."

The brunette nodded, tilting the handlebars leftward so fast that the bicycle's back wheel drifted forward while the rest turned around the corner.

 _'Adrenaline.'_ Sucy marked within her mind. ' _That needs to be toned down.'_

By the time the pair joined with the other riders in the park's bike loop, Akko still hadn't shown any sign of increasing body temperature or discomfort. Her legs pumped up and down rhythmically with fluid movements, muscles bending and stretching with extreme efficiency.

Despite the speeds they traveled at Sucy found the experience rather relaxing, resting her left cheek against Akko's shoulderblade; listening to her heart tick away beneath the skin. Light shone through branches of trees along the pathway, dancing across her wife's hair, turning the deep dark brown into varying shades; milk chocolate mixing with dark.

In the city they weren't allowed to go flying, so Sucy sometimes forgot the simple joy of watching the world fly past, pressed against her love's back. It brought her mind back to simpler times, when the most she had to worry about was whether or not Akko wanted to kiss her or not.

"What was it you gave me anyway?" The brunette asked later as they walked the bike home under the moonlight. "I felt like I could do anything!"

Sucy met her questioning gaze with a soft smile. "Something new for the shop, meant to allow people to train for longer without tiring out."

A long pale finger dragged up the brunette's neck to scratch behind her ear. "You were a big help." She thanked, turning the light scratch into a gentle caress of the woman's face. "I can always count on my little guinea pig."

Akko nuzzled her face into the touch with a contented smile. "Of course you can. Till death do us part remember?"

At that moment, a beam of moonlight caused the ring on the alchemist's finger to sparkle, seemingly agreeing with Akko's loving words.

"But that's not good enough." Sucy joked, reaching down to link their fingers together. "If I go first, I'm totally going to haunt you. Then we can move on together."

Her wife's smile was melancholy, but with an imbalance towards joy. It was a joke, but they both felt the sincerity.

"That sounds nice."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Hm I have mixed feelings about this one. Its just in my head because of all the lengthy rosebois I write but this feels super short. I'll remedy that feeling by working more on A Rose in Winter tonight._**

 ** _Tell me how it was friends! I am always open to comments, suggestions for future chapters, or ways to improve my writing!_**


	6. I'll Ruin You

_**A/N: Who's ready for sin but also sad gay? Because that's what this is. The angsty bit comes at the request of TAWOGfan2000 -well not really... they wanted funnies but I turned the same scenario into angst. Sorry :p**_

 _ **Queen Sydon: Thank you so much friend! I'm so glad you like my fluff! It's super easy to write married stuff, so if that's your poison I'd be happy to make more!**_

 _ **TAWOGfan2000: Thank you for the suggestion! You were a big help in writing this week's chapter! Sorry its not very funny, I saw the opportunity for Sucy angst and jumped on it. ^_^'**_

 _ **Magicantix: Thank you so much my friend! It relieves me to hear how natural it feels, Sucy is such a dynamic character that sometimes I worry about it feeling out of character. Akko is far easier; I seriously doubt even when she's like 30 or 40 that she would grow up fully. I hope school is going well friend!**_

 _ **A Potato: Hahah, thank you my dear friend. I have some prime sin for you. I hope you're happy :p**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

* * *

It all escalated far too quickly. One minute they were barking and teasing eachother in the dorm like any other day, wide grins splitting their faces in half, twin pairs of blood red eyes locked onto eachother; the next they were a flurry of lips and teeth and tongues, hot breaths mixing in between frenzied kisses.

Sucy's blood throbbed in her ears, her heart beating to the rhythm of some unseen wardrum. Her long talon-like fingers dug into Akko's scalp, tangling themselves in those strands of soft chocolate brown.

The brunette's needy cries dredged up something dark and foul from within her, a voice sounding so similar to her own: deep, gravely, aggressive. It made the room double in temperature, made Akko's scent smell all the sweeter; sent an electric pulse up her spine and into her muscles.

She pushed, and the girl in her arms fell backward onto the bed, bouncing as the mattress gave way slightly at the new weight before snapping back into place.

Stopping for a moment, Sucy took in the sight of her love sprawled out on her back: they way her hair spread outward from her head like a halo, the deep blush surging through her cheeks, the way her small breasts moved up and down as her chest heaved in deep shuddering breaths.

She was absolutely beautiful.

 _'And all yours.'_

The alchemist's tongue darted out, covering her dry and cracking lips with a thin coat of wetness in preparation before crawling between Akko's legs to hover above her body.

She immediately reached out to pull Sucy in, one arm slipping behind her back, the other disappearing into the alchemist's veil of pink hair. Their lips met and it was like they never separated, lips slipping around eachother and tongues lashing.

But Sucy wanted something else, and so she started wandering with her kisses, rightward across Akko's cheek to nibble gently on her earlobe before kissing lower. Down along the length of her brain's major artery to her collar, where long, thin, nimble fingers loosened the brunette's tie and undid the many buttons keeping the alchemist from the girl's collarbones.

Akko sighed as the viper's tongue traveled along her clavicle, stopping at the base of her throat and trailing up to press kisses just under her chin.

It still wasn't enough. Something primal urged Sucy's mouth back up towards the brunette's pulse point to hold her lips there; feeling the thunderous beating of her lover's excited heart.

The alchemist's bared her sharp rows of teeth as the voice within grew louder, screaming at her to take what's hers.

And she did.

Hard and sharp enameled bone sank into the brunette's flesh, drawing sweet and tangy blood from within. The coppery taste was divine on her tongue, and knowing who exactly it came from made it all the more delicious.

Sweet, innocent, stubborn Akko was writhing beneath her, lifeblood flowing out into her mouth while the girl's body received a mark of ownership that would last weeks.

The confused scream that followed was like a bucket of cold water to her face.

"OWW! Sucy!"

She jumped back, stumbling over herself and falling backwards onto the floor; flapping her mouth in an effort to stutter out an appropriate apology.

"Ah... I-I'm-"

The harsh aggressive voice was gone; replaced instead with a cacophony of piranhas, biting at her heels with anxieties and fears.

 _'You've ruined it.'_

 _'She's scared of you now.'_

 _'You've hurt her.'_

 _'It's all over.'_

 _'You'll always be alone.'_

Sucy shook, head jerking, clenched fists pressed tight against her chest. Her deep red eyes were blown wide open, locked into the floor as they saw a thousand other things, futures that had very little chance of actually coming true.

In her logical mind she knew this, but such thoughts were not in control at the moment.

She wasn't normal, her time at the orphanage made that very clear; no one wanted a pale creepy kid like her, no one could ever love someone so unsettling and vile.

Though the years after her escape had been slightly better, something resembling normalcy, she could only watch as the world turned grey around her, drowning in a lonely darkness that would have eventually been her death.

She had found something, a lighthouse to guide her away from the cold waters, and she had ruined it: she had snuffed out the candle before it ever had a real chance to burn.

"-ucy! Sucy come back!"

Was that Akko? No, of course not, she had almost certainly run away by now, These soft hands on her face were just a figment of her imagination; she would blink and the phantom would be gone, leaving her all alone like she should be.

"I'm doing this because I love you, so don't get mad!"

An echoing smack reverberated throughout the dormroom, the alchemist's head snapping rightward with the force of the blow.

That had been real.

"A..kko..?" She choked on her own emotion, looking into the bottomless pools of red before her with wonder.

The brunette's frown lifted upwards and she collapsed into her love, hugging tightly. "I'm right here... I won't ever leave you."

"B-But... I hurt you..." Sucy squeezed her eyes shut, anxiously holding on to her dearest like she was a buoy floating safely above turbulent waters.

When she hesitantly opened them next, the brunette was looking back with an expression Sucy had never seen on anyone else's face before.

Akko's bright sunny smile warmed the icy claws that had curled around the alchemist's heart, pushing the darkness back to the very edges of her mind.

"You were showing your love." She soothed, lifting a hand up to brush pink locks away from her love's forehead. "I know how much you love me, but a physical reminder is always nice."

The edges of Sucy's lips tilted upwards as a soft kiss touched down on the spot the brunette's fingers had cleared of hair. "You're such an idiot." She chuckled. "I'm going to ruin you in the end."

Her dearest nodded in response, arms wrapping snugly around her neck before the brunette snuggled deep into her chest. "That's the hope."

"Because I'm gonna ruin you too."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Friendly reminder that Sucy Manbavaran is a fundamentally broken person who needs to be reminded that she's worth loving. And also that I will never not fixate on the teeth thing. IT JUST WORKS FOR THEM TOO WELL.**_

 _ **Let me know how it was! My PM or review boxes are always open for request or comment!**_


	7. Love is like a Rabbit Hole

_**A/N: Welcome back lovely friends! This week is just sugar from Akko's perspective. I imagine this takes place a few years after they graduate from Luna Nova and are living together while they are in college. Sucy is probably gunning for a business degree while Akko is struggling through an advertising course. But that's all just framing. The point is that Akko is really fucking gay for her roomie and doesn't know how to deal with it.**_

 _ **TAWOGfan2000: Thanks friend, I hope this sugary little piece is what you were looking for.**_

 _ **Guest: There's an idea friend... I'll slot that away for later.**_

 _ **Reynabot: Thank you very much my friend! I'm so happy you enjoyed!**_

 _ **DuwangChew: Thanks friend! The girlfriend sometimes has similar episodes to Sucy's in the last chapter, so I have quite a bit of experience in the field. I'm glad it translated well to the characters!**_

 _ **A Potato: Hey thanks a bunch friend! That gives me a few scraps of a story idea! Something something blushy crushy Sucy and Akko unaware of what a temptation she's being.**_

 _ **FinalFatality7: Aw that fucking sucks friend. I'm so happy to help! I'm even happier to hear that you're feeling better! That's the goal with my writings: the hope that it will make someones somewhere smile. Thank you for reading and making that wish come true!**_

* * *

 _'In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again...'_

For Akko, falling in love was very much like a rabbit hole, endlessly falling without any sign of stopping, the sky above shrinking into an infinitesimally small point before vanishing from view.

The impish alchemist that she held dear was of the icy sort, keeping her emotions and thoughts close to the chest, but in those rare moments where she would smile or open up- even just a tiny bit, Akko's heart would soar.

One of these rare moments happened on a Friday morning: the sun was high in the sky and Atsuko Kagari was still in bed, her eyes squeezed shut to block the light as it attempted to rouse her from sleepy bliss.

Fading in and out of consciousness, Akko heard a vague pattern rapping on her bedroom door, knocking perhaps? Not enough neurons were online for the brunette to deduce who could be calling for her at that moment, and the darkness took it as an opportunity to drag her back into oblivion.

The next time she faded back into the real world, cold thin fingers were caressing her cheek gently. Akko recognized the aura beside her as the same that had been knocking at the door beforehand, and though her mind could not identify it, her heart surged with a familiar warmth.

"S...ucy...?" The brunette's mumbled, left eye creaked open, and sure enough her best friend was standing there next to the bed, afternoon sunlight catching in her soft purple hair.

"Well good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Sucy's genuine smiles were subtle, tiny things, just the faintest upturn at the edges of her mouth, but it made the brunette's blood tingle all the same; love flowing through her veins like heroin.

The alchemist playfully poked Akko's cheek, small smile blowing up into a toothy grin as her guinea pig's face scrunched up in discomfort and shifted to sit up. "I thought you may've died in your sleep." She teased. "It's two in the afternoon. I've gotten up, eaten, gotten dressed, and gone to class in all of that time."

"Must have been good dreams hey?"

The teasing question caused a light flush to creep up the sides of the chocolate witch's neck.

Her dreams _had_ been good.

 _"Just relax and enjoy the ride my little bunny... I'll take care of everything..."_

A little _too_ good.

"Ah- uh... not at all..." Akko lied. "I k-kept waking up from bad dreams, that's why I slept for so long."

A perfect excuse; that kind of thing happened all the time! It took an immense amount of willpower to not show her elation, trying instead to look like she had just gotten four hours of sleep and not fourteen.

Sucy's upbeat and impish attitude were visibly dampened, her wide grin deflating with concern. "Oh..." The alchemist said awkwardly, index finger rubbing against the knuckle of her thumb. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The understanding smile and kind eye Sucy shot her way filled the brunette with guilt but also affection. The purple viper could be incredibly sweet when she wanted to be: running out to buy things for her roommate when she was sick, offering a shoulder to cry on when the anxiety of exams became too much to handle, lending a listening ear when she needed to vent.

"Hey?" The soft nudge yanked Akko from her lovestruck reverie to answer the question that still hung in the air.

"I'd um- I'd rather forget about it..." She stuttered, fidgeting with the hem of her blanket and avoiding the alchemist's gaze.

Sucy nodded at the edge of her vision, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "That's alright. Why don't I make us something to eat? My lunch wasn't very big."

Copying the alchemist's head movement, Akko turned her hand around to squeeze back. "Yes please."

Akko shuffled towards the edge of the bed and swung her legs over the side, accepting the alchemist's other hand as she helped the brunette to her feet.

As soon as weight shifted into Akko's legs, her balance wavered, causing her to stumbled forward into Sucy's chest. She didn't seem to mind, wrapping her arms around the other girl's waist until she was stable.

"You alright there?" Chuckles vibrated through the alchemist's chest and Akko heart skipped at the sound. "Can't even trust you to stand on your own..."

Their embrace continued as Sucy spun her best friend around so that her chest was pressed against the brunette's back, arms tightening around her stomach.

"We have a few errands to run today." Sucy explained, turning their hug to face out the window. The slightly shorter witch could barely hear what she was saying; despite being laser focused on the lips moving so close to her ear, the words went in one ear and out the other.

With every moment like this, actions and words so tender and loving, she fell further and further down the rabbit hole.

Akko was in deeper than she ever thought possible, and never wanted to escape.

"Alright, come on." The brunette only barely processed her roommate's grip loosening before a her earlobe received a quick bite, causing her entire body to seize up and her brain to go into meltdown.

She turned her rapidly reddening face towards Sucy's retreating form, towards the mischievous grin sent over her shoulder. "W-Wha..?"

"I told you, I didn't eat much at lunch." The alchemist teased with a cackle, gnashing her teeth together. "I gotta get some food in me or I might just eat you up instead."

The brunette erupted into a flushed mess as Sucy left the room, covering her red face with her hands when she realized just how little that prospect worried her.

It was all over for Atsuko Kagari, she was in love, and enjoying every second of it.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Rest in Gay Akko Kagari 2000ish - 2020**_

 _ **I was in an Alice mood this week and originally wanted to write a chapter based on that one piece of art where Akko is Alice and Sucy is the Queen of Hearts but I was unable to turn it into a decent amount of words. So instead I wrote about the rabbit-hole nature of falling in love, and how futile easy it is to fall deeper and deeper down. Let me know if you'd still my original idea and I'll try again for next week.**_

 _ **Until then!**_


	8. Results

_**A/N: Guys I finished watching Angel Beats, and the ending fucking broke me. Those were some heavy tears my dudes, I recommend highly if you have a whole box of tissues that needs to be emptied.**_

 _ **BUT ANWAY**_

 _ **Welcome back friends! This week's installment is based on a suggestion by ThatFanFicGuy; a cracky, hyper gay suggestion that I just found beautiful and had to write. I hope all of you enjoy the results!**_

 _ **Some Random Dude: They are not in an established relationship in that chapter, no! And a big yes to the connected second question: they are living together while going through college and Akko is trying to deal with her big gay crush on her roomie. A continuation with confession would be a very fluffy little chapter, let me know if you would still like it after this chapter. (hint hint lol) Thank you very much my friend!**_

 _ **A Potato: Hey there friend! Oh yes, Sucy Manbavaran is a menace; have you seen those teeth? Akko would have many marks all over that she would have to explain in the morning. I'm glad you enjoyed my friend!**_

 ** _This chapter is quite a bit longer than all the others, because it just kept coming. It would have been even longer if I allowed the ending to continue but I needed my damn sleep. Nevertheless I hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

Sucy thought of herself as a woman of science; one of hypothesis, experimentation, and results. Her work required all three of those things for a successful conclusion, but lately the data from her experiments was quite lacking, her observations missing a key variable in humanity.

The cause of this really boiled down to one person.

Lotte had put her foot down regarding human experimentation, and on Akko in particular, forcing the alchemist to work on rats instead.

This was fine for testing poisons or transformation elixirs- the rat would either die or turn into something -but it wasn't enough when it came to her more preferred mixtures. Potions that altered the human experience could only be effectively tested on humans.

Well... that wasn't true; they could be tested on rats, but that took away all of the fun.

Alchemy and science were well and good, but her guinea pig's squirming as she gulped down yet another horrid mixture was the real end prize.

It had been weeks since she was last able to trap or trick Akko into helping her with experiments, so when news broke of a new Night Fall movie coming out, she was probably more excited than Lotte was.

A motion picture release of the ginger girl's favourite series meant that she would be gone for at least a full day, in line for the film before anyone else and the very last to leave.

Which meant that for hours on end, the alchemist was free to do as she liked.

Akko was understandably unnerved by this, greeting her after class the day of release with a nervous smile, knowing full well what awaited her.

"H-Hey Sucy!" She stuttered, scratching her cheek with a finger as she closed their shared room's door.

The alchemist smiled sweetly, leaning back in her chair; crossing one leg over the other. "You don't have to be so jumpy, little guinea pig, its nothing painful this time."

Her anxieties hardly lessened by the alchemist's words, Akko took a seat on her bed. "I just hope it tastes better than usual..." She sighed, hugging herself. "I can still sometimes taste rotting wood."

Sucy's smile grew into an impish grin as she picked up the swirling vial from the desk with a wink. "Only the best for my primier test subject."

The elixir was a vibrant red, wisps of pink dancing around the many bubbles that appeared and disappeared within. It certainly looked better than others she had forced down, and the brunette could only hope that the pleasant visuals translated into a pleasant flavour.

"What is it?" Akko asked as she warily accepted the vial and took a cautious whiff.

It was _bad_ , oh _Yggdrasil_ it was bad, and yet it was still better than anything the alchemist had ever made before.

Sucy cackled at the brunette's expression, reaching for her clipboard blindly. "It's a uh-" She paused, taking a breath before trying again, using the written words as a guide.

"It's meant to increase bravery, willpower, confidence, whatever you call it." The alchemist explained, flipping the page over to read her preliminary notes. "The hope is to market it towards people with chronic anxiety or phobias, but I need to know if it works first and any side effects it may have."

"And that's where I come in..." Akko hummed as she looked down into the vial, frowning.

"No point in delaying the inevitable I guess."

Throwing her head back, the witch downed the entire thing in one painful shot, instantly retching and nearly throwing it all back up.

The mixture burned as it went down, much like she heard strong alcohol did, causing a strange warmth to spread up from her stomach, travelling along the length of her spine before settling heavy inside her skull.

"How do you feel?" Sucy asked after a minute in a clinically neutral tone, pen held to her clipboard, ready to write. "Just start listing things off."

Akko seemed to twitch at the question, closing her eyes tight and shaking her head once like she had suddenly tasted something sour. "I feel like fucking shit."

The alchemist's eyebrows disappeared into her hair as her usually lidded eyes widened slightly, knocked off balance by her best friend's vulgarity; that was not one of the intended effects but interesting nonetheless.

"Uh... okay? Care to elaborate?" She tried, taking the time to write down 'altered vocabular boundaries' on her clipboard.

"It feels like that fatass Finnelan is standing on my brain." The brunette stood and began rubbing her temples, trying to alleviate the pressure pushing against the walls of her skull while continuing her tirade.

"Ugh, Finnelan." She sneered, beginning to pace around the room while an extremely amused Sucy simply sat and watched the train wreck happen.

"You know I work so fucking hard in her class, trying my damn hardest, but its always _'Diana'_ this, ' _Diana_ ' that." Akko brought her right hand up to join the other in order to emphasize her disdain. "' _Oooh Diana! Please let me lick the shit off your boots!'_ Eugh."

The alchemist could barely contain herself, lips quivering as an ocean of cackles pushed against her mouth, its strength only growing by the second.

This was an absolute _goldmine_ : An Akko with no filter, ready to say exactly what's on her mind to anyone at any time.

She needed to find Amanda, she needed to find Diana, she needed to sick her latest creation on someone, _anyone_ she could find.

Feeling her laughter finally subside somewhat, Sucy stood, holding the clipboard to her chest as a sort of anchor, something to keep her from collapsing into another fit of giggles.

"I would like to do some field testing now." She informed the brunette, gliding across the room to the door and opening it slightly. "It's important to see how you react to different stimulus."

Just as the alchemist was in the middle of turning to check if her guinea pig was actually going to follow her, a hand slammed down on the wood beside her head, forcefully pushing it closed again.

"You're all the stimulus I could ever need..."

When she completed her turn, Akko was there, standing very close and leaning against the door with an uncharacteristically roguish grin.

"What are you talking about?" She asked with a touch of irritation. "There's not enough data in here for... _oh_."

Sucy's eyes widened fully, her lips parting in horror and understanding as the effects of the potion, Akko's uninhibited thoughts, and their current position all clicked together inside of her mind.

 _'Oh no.'_

"Has anyone ever told you how fucking gorgeous you are?" The brunette sighed, her pupils visibly growing to match the desire in her voice as she leaned in ever closer, placing a hand on her best friend's hip. "Because god damn, what I wouldn't give to just shove my head in between your legs."

The alchemist could feel her aforementioned legs begin to quiver in fear, taking tiny steps back in whatever pathetically small amount of space she had left to do so until her back pressed against wood.

This was bad. This was _really bad._

Akko was far stronger than she was, and would be able to keep this door shut for as long as she wanted to or as long as the potion lasted, whatever came first.

But what would happen in that time?

Sucy had always held the brunette close to her heart; the very first friend she ever had, and someone she wouldn't mind being around ad infinitum. But this wasn't right.

There were things she had to say before she was ready for anything like this, ready for what she knew was coming at this rate.

Akko was going to kiss her, and probably go a lot further from there. If she ever wanted to say those things it had to be now.

She suddenly headbutted the brunette, pressing their foreheads together as her eyes squeezed shut.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this." Sucy stated shakily, grabbing onto Akko's shoulders with both hands. "I've had dreams where this happens; in my head I've said this to you a hundred different ways, but never like this."

The brunette's hand slid down the door to grasp her neck gently. "Sucy..."

"Shut up and let me finish!" The alchemist shouted, her voice wavering and thick with emotion. "You've always been special to me, the first person other than Ramzan or her family to even ask my name. I tried to shove you aside but you kept coming back, trying your damn hardest to worm your way into my heart."

"It worked. No matter how much I tried to deny it, lock away my heart, it was too late; you had already stolen the key, the lock- the whole thing."

Her hands migrated up, to mirror the brunette's loving hold on her neck with her own. "So go ahead, do whatever you want; I'll follow along."

With no mental restraints to stop her, Akko did just that, pushing the alchemist against the door and taking her pale porcelain face in her hands.

"You're so perfect..." The brunette groaned as their lips joined in a messy string of kisses. "I'd love you forever if you let me..."

"Please do." Sucy sighed, allowing her love to lift her off the ground and wrapping her legs around the brunette's waist. "Love me until the stars die out."

And it was so.

* * *

 _ **A/N: MMMMM THATS THE GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE. There were so many different ways this chapter could have gone, I think I cut away a whole 250 word chunk to paste back in later where it would fit, but it ended up kinda not? Even without it this turned out to be roughly 1600 words so I think it was an okay cut.**_

 _ **Fuckin this was equal parts hilarious but also sweet to write. I'm not sure if I've ever written a full confession before. *AOL noises* No I never have, it's just been really vague shit as is my M.O. I hope it felt natural and in character. I also hope it gave you many a toothache and at least one chuckle.**_

 ** _*AOL noises continued*_**

 ** _There isn't much left in my brain right now, except a reminder to send me any and all ideas you have for chapters! They really cut away a huge time sync from the writing process and saves me a lot more brainpower for actually writing._**

 ** _If you don't have any suggestions, then tell me what you thought of the chapter! I always love hearing from you guys._**


	9. Hit and Run

_**A/N: YEAH CAN I GET A FUCKIN UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUNCTIONING OPERATING SYSTEM? Apparently not. Sorry for the delay friends, but I was two thirds of the way through this chapter before my computer shit the bed and then corrupted the entire file costing me everything. Fun times. Besides that mishap, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, I definitely don't like it as much as last week's but that's probably because this is mostly from my own brain and not from someone's suggestions. Creator self hate and all.**_

 _ **baka-akko: Hey thanks friend! I know that feeling. The otp calls and you must answer. As for your question.. hmm.. Well Sucy is a person that has zero knowledge on emotions, relationships or love, so maybe she would turn to Nightfall for help in her endeavours with Akko? Actually that's hilarious I'll write that down for later. Thanks!**_

 _ **HybridGraph: Hah I probably would have written something like that if it wasn't already super fuckin long and my fire was already burning out. maybe later I could do a continuation of that chapter and the fallout of that debacle. Thanks friend!**_

 _ **ThatFanFicGuy: Despite A Rose in Winter's absurd schedule suggesting otherwise, I do indeed work fast. It was such a fun idea I just started on it as soon as I got your suggestion. Thank you very much and your welcome my friend!**_

 _ **Some Random Dude: Yeah man sometimes you just need that role reversal! (paste mirror!Akko fanart here) But also Akko without inhibitions is kind of dangerous, that girl is strong and can be just as scary as Sucy when the time calls for it. (see broom race) Imagine if she was that unhinged all the time. Yeah i could do a full proper scene! What time would you like it at? During the show, after but still while they're at Luna Nova? Or maybe something like this here college roomates kind of deal.**_

 _ **DuwangChew: I too feel like a fully unshackled Akko has potential but am unsure where to take it next other than the obvious aftermath fic. Feel free to pm me a suggestion with any ideas you may have!**_

 _ **A Potato: Probably either shout or squee. Maybe both. Another vote for more unshackled Akko and confession! Alright I'll keep my brain working on both of those. Thanks friend!**_

 ** _I hope this chapter is sufficient! Let me know what you think!_**

* * *

Akko wasn't very musically adept, but she could still enjoy it in all of the forms it took. And sometimes, she noticed, even the simple sounds of living could be a soothing symphony.

The voices and laughter of the television blurred together into a meaningless hum, creating a steady baseline, while the heavy rainfall pelting against the windows flowed like the notes of a harp. Soft breathing, air shared between the two women who inhabited the apartment, would be the strings, each in and out not unlike the back and forth of a bow. Even the barely audible sound of Sucy's pen as it danced across her notepad added to the melody, gentle percussion that subtly announced her existence even when the brunette couldn't see her.

Their lives were so busy, running back and forth between jobs and school with barely enough time to eat before they had to sleep in time to do it all over again the next day. Akko cherished these moments of respite of late, two best friends sharing a space in comfortable quiet, enjoying eachother's presence.

"Do we have enough conditioner to last another week?"

But alas this peace was temporary. It was a Saturday: their scheduled day for shopping, and one of them had to take stock to decide what was needed for the coming week.

Obviously this responsibility fell to Sucy, as her roommate could barely be asked to check for crumbs on her face, let alone analyze the contents of the entire house and make a list that would have to be followed later.

No, while the alchemist walked around the house, continuously adding to the shopping list, Akko laid upside down on the couch, her legs curled around its back and balancing a remote on her nose.

Said bundle of sunshine looked up at her right knee, the closest thing to looking at her roommate without actually sitting up like the adult she technically was.

"Uhh maybe?" She offered uselessly, spinning the remote slowly around. "Put one down just in case."

"That should be it then..." The alchemist hummed, clicking her pen repeatedly. "...yeah."

Sighing in defeat, Akko allowed the remote to slide off of her face and topple onto the floor loudly. Even though any chance to spend time with Sucy nowadays was a treasured gift, the brunette found herself internally groaning at the thought of leaving the apartment: the store would be cold, and the car would be even colder.

"Alright bunny, hop to it."

The brunette's body seized as long thin fingers curled around her knee, the offending appendage's thumb rubbing gentle circles into the skin of her inner thigh. She immediately jerked upward to come face to face with her rather beautiful roommate's trademark grin.

Were she anyone else, the alchemist might have been impressed by such a movement; the abdominal power and flexibility required not something commonly seen in teenage girls, but the Kagari bloodline's inhuman strength had ceased to surprise long ago.

"We certainly make a pair don't we?" Sucy sighed, the grin on her face turning lopsided as she searched the brunette's bottomless pools of red. For what, she couldn't say; after years of looking, the alchemist had since forgotten. "You're the brawn, and I'm... everything else."

Akko averted her eyes from the alchemist's predatory gaze, the delicate skin of her cheeks burning a flustered pink. It wasn't so much the jab at her intelligence as it was the fact that her roommate- whom she had a _massive crush_ on -referred to them as eachother's other halves.

There was a chuckle before two fingers grasped the brunette's chin, pulling her face back to look into the other witch's eye. She could feel her heart-rate increasing, pounding hard against her ribcage.

"I know it's gross out there but I'm gonna need help." Sucy asked in a soft tone, bringing her hand down to squeeze her best friend's other knee. "There are a few things we need to buy that I can't lift on my own."

She smiled then, tilting her head to the left and turning her palms upward in request. "I need you."

And all of a sudden, the brunette's reluctance to leave the apartment faded into nothingness.

Scholars would spend the next several centuries figuring out why.

 **. . . . .**

Akko was right: the shop was cold and the car was colder. Though this was less of a problem than one would think, as Sucy's oddly affectionate behaviour continued. During the entire drive to the shopping center, she had kept her hand on the brunette's thigh; more than enough to send the poor girl's heart into overdrive and generate ample warmth.

Even while they were walking through the aisles Sucy stayed rather close, barely an inch between their shoulders, moving away quickly to grab something off of the shelf but always returning to that same spot at her side.

The brunette's mind was a tempest, a thousand thoughts swirling like a maelstrom as they swallowed all of her focus.

 _'Why is this happening?'_

 _'She's so affectionate...'_

 _'She's acting like my...'_

 _'Does that mean...?'_

 _'No don't be stupid.'_

 _'But it could!'_

There were numerous times where Sucy had to grab her arm to stop her from running down a small child or old lady in their path. The alchemist would only laugh in response, occasionally taking a quick shot at her cognitive functions before returning her focus back to the shopping list.

Every time afterword, the brunette's spine was stiff and her heart pounded in her ears for what felt like an eternity.

"Can you get this for me BunBun?"

Those _damn_ adorable nicknames didn't help matters much either, in fact it just made everything worse.

Sucy stood bent over a large cardboard pallet of water, struggling to pull it from the stack. Ever the helpful friend and eager to do something with her hands besides fidgeting, Akko bent down and grabbed both sides, effortlessly lifting it up and sliding it under the cart.

"Why thank you my darling." The alchemist quipped, aware of how embarrassed such sweet words made her guinea pig, though blind to the reasons why.

This blindness wouldn't last much longer however, as an increasingly unstable Akko buckled underneath the weight of her own emotions, spinning her love around and quickly crushing their lips together before continuing to push the cart down the aisle at high speed.

Sucy could only reach her fingers upwards to hover over her still tingling lips, turning to look down the aisle at the girl's retreating form and blinking blankly.

They would need to talk about this later.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Whew finally we're done. Fuckin good job Akko, kiss and run, leave your girl in the dust. Honestly something in my gut shouts that this is the most in character way for Akko to reveal her love; a kind of shia labeouf just do it moment.**_

 _ **Poor Sucy. She's gonna need weeks to process this.**_

 _ **In other news maaaaaybe expect A Rose in Winter to be a day late. saturday night/ sunday morning? I guess? I'm gonna work on it for the rest of the week and see what I can do. I already basically know whats going on in the chapter so perhaps I'll post on time. What I'm saying is don't bet on it.**_

 _ **Kthxloveuguysbye**_


	10. Who needs sleep when you can pine

_**A/N: Good lord that took longer than it needed to. There was just a full writer's wall in the way for a good seven hours there; I had to get up and just leave it a couple of times to clear my head out. But as all things do, the wall eventually fell and here is the result!**_

 _ **A Potato: Ahh! I love hearing about how a chapter relates to your own love. From what i've heard, you two sound like a simply wonderful couple and it makes me happy that this fictional couple of my creation can compare! Thank you friend!**_

 _ **Magicantix: Yeah I'm not sure what's going on with ff dot net's email services right now but I sometimes don't get a notification for a reviews or the confirmation email when I post a new chapter. Weird. I'm so glad you caught up and enjoyed though! That's a juicy suggestion, I will think about it this week and perhaps get to work on it soon! Thank you!**_

 _ **DuwangChew: THIS JUST IN: AKKO IS A FUCKIN COWARD. Thank you so much friend! Yeah me too. I think that's probably why the princess/knight Au works so well for this pairing. Akko is s t ronk and Sucy is highly appreciative of this fact.**_

 _ **Some Random Dude: Yeah I know, but it just comes with the territory. It's not healthy but it's very very common for content creators to hate their stuff; perfectionists all of us. But perfection isn't a real thing and you gotta just be happy with what you end up with. That's why I fuckign super appreciate all of you always reviewing, some of you are super quick with it too, leaving me only minutes at most to wallow in self hate. Thank you so much my friends!**_

 _ **The college stuff is a favourite of mine too, I will definitely do more of it soon. Oooh the briiiidge~ That would be a very good place for confession and kisses. IM INTO IT.**_

 _ **DarkyLonewolf: Yeaaahhhh, but that's the fandom life aint it? Especially with LWA where everything is up to interpretation. Ships tend to snowball as the more people who like it means more people making art which means more people see art of the ship which means etc. And yeah in this canon (if you can call this mess a canon) Akko really only has eyes on thos s. MARRIED FUTURE YOU SAY? I LOVE MARRIED FUTURE. I have a few suggestions pending but yeah I'll definitely jot that down. Thanks!**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy friends, this one comes from another suggestion from our friend ThatFanFicGuy! (Who is currently posting lots of glorious Sukko/redteam crack)**_

* * *

Akko couldn't sleep.

As the moon rose higher and higher into the night sky and her best friends slowly drifted off to sleep, the brunette remained wide awake. Her head was a whirlwind of thoughts: hopes, fears, what ifs, centered around the one person she could never take her mind off of.

Turning in her bed, Akko glanced wistfully across the dark dormroom where Sucy slept soundly, stiff as a corpse. The alchemist looked so adorable while she slept, the white sleeping cap that covered her head adding a touch of innocence to a girl who was very much lacking in that department otherwise.

She still remembered the moment clearly, that fateful afternoon when she first realized just how deep her affection for the mischievous puce haired witch went.

Sucy had asked her for help that day and she had accepted, this was a common enough occurrence that Akko no longer asked for the specifics before consenting; it wasn't like the alchemist ever told her even when she did ask.

It turned out to be long string of errands, from buying hydroponics equipment to picking fresh ingredients straight from the ground, and Akko was the alchemist's designated pack mule, carrying whatever she was asked to.

Their day ended inside of the school's greenhouse, oranges and yellows of the setting sun filling the large glass dome. She remembered looking up from the ground exhaustedly as Sucy set up everything the had bought with precision, her long slender fingers carefully untwisting bolts and changing tubes.

The alchemist's hair looked so lovely against the setting sun, and such a sight spurred Akko into slowly scanning the witch up and down, taking in her every feature and listing off her favourites.

It wasn't long before Sucy's entire body was on that list, and Akko's brain followed that train of thought to its natural conclusion with a longing sigh:

Sucy was simply beautiful.

She remembered freezing at the thought, blinking rapidly and burning a flustered red; she said that, and she meant it, truly and deeply.

That night she tossed and turned, similarly to how she did now, asking herself impossible questions and looking back on months and months of interactions for any signs of these feelings in their infancy.

Surely she couldn't be in love with her best friend? She was just being silly. Right?

Akko had long since come to terms with the answer to that question: a resounding no on all fronts.

She was in love, and there was no turning back.

As the night carried on, the brunette found herself sitting down next to her crush's bed, her cheek resting against folded arms on the alchemist's bed.

"I wish I knew it would be this hard." She murmured, watching her friend's chest rise and fall with every deep breath.

While the brunette's feelings had been verified and accepted into herself, Akko had no idea where to go from there; the thought of making her love known was a towering anxiety looming over her head. Especially with Sucy, who was usually quite distant when it came to these matters; the alchemist might not even be interested in her, or interested in relationships at all. The risk of heartbreak was astronomical.

 _'It would be nice to talk to someone about this...'_ She mused internally. Lotte might have had some good suggestions, had she not been dead to the world for the past several hours, and there was no one else in the entire school that would be awake at such an ungodly time.

Well there was one person. Someone who seemed to always be awake no matter the time of day; who listened to her problems on an almost weekly basis.

"Akko? What are you doing up?" Professor Ursula peeked around the door, her glasses barely making it onto her face.

The brunette shuffled nervously in place, holding her left elbow with her right hand. "Um... I- I couldn't sleep and-" What could she say? 'I couldn't bear wallowing in my own gay and needed advice'?

Taking a moment to think, Akko didn't see any better way to word it.

"Brain too busy again?" Ursula offered an understanding smile, stepping aside and gesturing for the brunette to enter. This was a common enough occurrence that Akko knew where to go, settling onto her designated stool next to the desk.

It was a long stretch of uncomfortable silence before the young witch sighed, bringing her arms around herself in a hug. It wouldn't do much good to just sit and stay quiet, she needed to talk, and here was someone willing to listen.

"Have-" She choked on the words as they came up, her courage evaporating as quickly as it came. "H-Have you ever been in... l-l-love?"

Ursula tilted her head slightly to the side, her concerned eyes becoming warm. She quickly glanced down at her hands, folded neatly on her lap, before focusing back on her student.

"I have." She answered without hesitation. "And I still am." Akko met her gaze, a brief flash of curiosity that was then overpowered by desperation.

"How did you deal with it? I-" The girl bit her lip; she was so far out of her depth when it came to love that simply thinking about it was a quick ride towards becoming overwhelmed. "I don't even know if they even care about this feelsy stuff, or- or about _me_! What if I tell them how I feel and they don't- _"_

"Akko. Breathe." The former performer clamped both of her hands down on Atsuko's shoulders, grounding the girl to reality as she took deep breaths. "Let's start with something simple: are they your friend?"

The gears in the brunette's brain clunked and turned as she slowly analyzed the question and thought of an answer.

"Y-Yes." She stuttered, her breaths equally shaky. "One of my best."

Nodding with a warm caring smile, Ursula slid her hands down to gently rub the sides of the brunette's arms. "If they're your friend, of course they care about you. It just might show itself in different ways. Let's think about those things."

Akko's mind was suddenly filled with Sucy, images of ridiculous pranks and rude remarks that slowly gave way to ones of soft genuine smiles and little gestures. After she had lifted of the ground with a broom for the first time, the alchemist's shocked gape curled up into a smirk that almost seemed proud; after she had mixed her first and only successful elixir, Sucy had wrapped an arm around her neck and held her tight.

"That look on your face says everything." The bespectacled professor chuckled. "Not everyone is as forward and easy to read as you, Akko."

"What do I do?" She asked quietly in response, a light pink flush to her cheeks as she began to fidget uncontrollably. "How do I let her know?"

Grasping Akko's hands, Professor Ursula leaned over to look her in the eyes. "Like I said: not everyone is so forward, and you don't need to be either. Stand a little bit closer to her, smile at her more; show her how much she means to you with actions."

The brunette mulled over her teacher's words before nodding. "I- I can do that. But... will it really work?" Doubt bit at her heels, trying to drag her back down into the dark, but Ursula's smile and motherly voice burned it all away.

"You'd be surprised what a smile or a hug can do."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Ursula for best mom? I mean she did do that thing with the moon but... still. Mom.**_

 _ **Akko you poor gayby, just give Sucy some more attention and she'll be the one to crumble first. Have you seen that girl's brain? She digs you.**_

 _ **Something something spring break. something something I don't want summer; summer's hot and shit.**_


	11. It's getting shoujo as fuck

**_A/N: Welcome back to Kap's weekly gay dispensary. This week I finally write that propper confession scene that Some Random Dude has suggested! I wrote this while listening to I Will from the Ao Haru Ride ost so its really fluffy. Listen its what I do._**

 _ **baka-akko: Yeah basically. Except secretly they're both whispering that. Because mutual pining i N.**_

 _ **Reynabot: I think I would also. Maybe that will go on the list. Thanks friend!**_

 _ **DarkyLonewolf: Thank you very much my friend! And yes I believe it's going to be added onto later. OOooohhh! Go for it friend, I believe in you! I would love to read anything you post!**_

 _ **d-upscandoc: Thankyou Thankyou my friend, that means a lot to me! Sometimes I struggle with spacing conversations out in a pleasing to read way (sothatitsnotjustawalloftext) I'm glad to see my struggles are worth it!**_

 _ **ThatFanFicGuy: Why thank you my friend! I like to channel my own experiences with people into my writing, whether that's conversations with my mother about the future or making my girlfriend feel better when she questions her self worth; I find my best pieces are ones grounded in those real world experiences. I also read and watch a ton of shoujo so that helps too :p. Hm now there's an idea: our two girls trying to beat the heat? Maybe Akko still wants to cuddle despite but Sucy is just completely against it. Thank you and you're welcome my friend!**_

 _ **forsagia: That's three! Definitely doing the continuation. I'm already getting a few ideas for fluffy situations. Wow that's gay. Thank you very much my friend! I'm glad you enjoyed!**_

 _ **FinalFatality7: I can't believe it hasn't come up before honestly, she is (mostly) a stable pillar in Akko's life away from her parents and an important part of her growth both magically and emotionally. I'm not sure if in the final version of that chapter it's mentioned at all but it takes place post canon so Ursula is a bit more sure of herself. That seems like a big detail for me to leave out. Shit.**_

 _ **Yeah man, he's the boi! Ooh I haven't watch mha yet but when I do I will read that! Thanks!**_

 _ **Some Random Dude: PARALEEELSSSSS. I'm glad you caught on to that! I also love the surrogate mom role she plays for Akko, Yggdrasil knows she needs as much parental guidance as physically possible. Mmm a good ol fashion soulmates AU. I would just fit so well for Sucy's character too, what with Akko being her literal light in the darkness. Ahh I'm excited to get to that now, thank you! P.P.P.P.S I love rain.**_

 _ **And with those out of the way, I hope you enjoy this beautiful fluff!**_

* * *

It was a sunny spring afternoon when she found it, the trees flowering in a rainbow of colours, from bright vibrant pink to light crisp blues. It was a small thing, like whoever had left it there silently hoped it would stay unnoticed but continuing to writing the alchemist' name despite.

She didn't even have to open the letter to know who it was from; Sucy could recognize that shaky and childish writing anywhere.

Curiosity overtook her: _why had Akko left a letter for her when they lived in the same dorm?_

The alchemist frowned with concern; she had grown increasingly close to the brunette since last year's fiasco, and the thought of Akko not being able to confide in her honestly hurt.

Closing her locker, Sucy slipped the letter in between her textbooks and left the bathroom, stepping out into the hall where Luna Nova's afternoon rapids quickly swept her away.

Once out in the courtyard, the alchemist sat down on a nearby bench, letting out a breath she didn't remember holding. In her hands she held words that Akko- the most forward and obnoxious person in the world -couldn't say out loud to even her best friend.

It was time to bite the curb and read it.

Carefully teasing the envelope's adhesive apart with her index finger as to not rip it, Sucy pulled the light pink paper out. She sat there staring at the folded note, every so often pulling apart one more crease.

She knew what she wanted it to be, what the little voice in her heart had been screaming ever since she discovered the letter.

 _'It's spring, the cherry blossoms will be falling! Its a love letter!'_

Impossible. Who in their right mind would ever have a crush on her? Especially Akko of all people, after all the horrible pranks and experiments the alchemist had subjected her to.

Even if Sucy had chilled out recently, the scars of her deeds still remained.

 _'You should actually read the letter first before you start beating yourself up...'_

Taking a deep breath, Sucy unfolded the last crease, revealing the anxiety provoking few words.

 _'Hi, Sucy._

 _I'm not going to pretend like you don't already know who this is from and cut to the chase._

 _I need to talk to you about something important._

 _Can you come and find me at 4? You should find this a little bit before that._

 _You know where I'll be.'_

Sucy read and reread what little the brunette had written down over and over, her anxiety creating all manner of different realities from in between the lines. There were none where this would be just a normal conversation; none where the voice inside her head was wrong.

Incidentally, she did have an idea of where Akko might be, though on the only other occasion she had looked in said location, the brunette was nowhere to be found.

 _'Here's hoping that won't happen again...'_

There was no need to think about the path to take while flying through the leylines, as many of her nights in the world of dreams played out these exact movements.

Sucy thought about the location on the other side often, the birthplace of her most cherished memory and her most important relationship. Not that she had many of those to begin with but the sentiment remained.

Stepping out of the leyline terminal, Sucy could clearly see the bridge in the distance, as well as a feminine figure who stood atop it, watching the water as it rushed beneath her feet.

As she walked closer, the features of the girl could be made out clearer: long brown hair partially tied up into a top-knot, round soft cheeks, big beautiful sparkling red eyes.

"H-Hey." The alchemist internally cursed herself for choking on her words, at the nerves she let slip.

Akko turned, brushing chocolate brown bangs out of her eyes. "Hi..." She murmured, looking down at her shoes. "I'm glad you came."

"Why the theatrics Akko?" Sucy questioned with a sigh, fishing the letter from her bag. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

The brunette shook her head side to side, fidgeting with fingers. "N-No... This is too important... it needed to be like this."

Wind blew through the trees around them, and Sucy took the opportunity to walk ever closer, watching as her best friend's cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

Her imagination continued to run wild, dredging up images from the depths of her psyche, images of Akko packing her things and leaving, images of Akko's parents looking at the alchemist in disgust and fear.

An image of the two of them holding hands against a deep orange sunset.

 _'Damnit! Don't get your hopes up, idiot!'_

"Well I'm already here." Sucy offered after a second or two to regain her composure, resting her broom on one of the bridge's side walls and positioning herself in front of the girl. "Talk to me and I'll listen."

It took a minute for Akko to build up her courage, the alchemist at one point forcefully separating her hands to stop the fidgeting, but eventually the words came flowing out.

"Do you remember that first day? This is where we were properly introduced."

How could she forget? Sucy always looked back to that day, kicking herself for being so openly hostile, asking herself countless what-ifs and imagining how their lives would be different.

But she didn't say any of that, simply nodding instead, catching how the brunette's eyes flicked up to catch hers before returning to their joined hands.

"You were so cruel: brushing me off, pulling pranks, even making me fall into the creek."

Sucy cringed, closing her eyes while violently berating herself further. If she hadn't obscured her sight, the alchemist would have seen Akko silently laugh; a bright smile blossom on her face.

"But I'm glad I never gave up. I'm glad I got to finally meet the real you. The you behind all the spikes and tricks, the you that has become one of my closest friends in the world... and-"

"The you that I-"

Akko's voice wavered, emotion catching in her throat. Sucy felt it too, her best friend's words leaving her speachless.

 _'She doesn't...'_

"I-" She faltered on the word again before taking a deep breath, snapping her head up to look the alchemist in the eye, her determined fire burning as bright as the blush that filled her face.

 _'No way...'_

"The you that I love more than anyone else!"

Akko's loud admission caused birds to flee from their nests and the alchemist's broom to clatter to the cobblestones.

Her mouth hanging open comically wide, Sucy blinked rapidly, her rapidly beating heart pumping blood into her pale cheeks.

"A-k-" She could barely breathe, barely talk, simply locking eyes with the girl infront of her in disbelief.

 _'Please let this be real...'_

Too many times had her dreams been realized only for the morning sun to burn them all away. And with no breath left and no voice to speak, Sucy did the only thing she could think of at that moment: the only way to be sure that this Akko was real.

She kissed her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Muhahah! Was it real or was it not? I'm kidding it was totally real (in this timeline anyway. Sucy waking up crying fic inc)**_


	12. I would say thank you

_**A/N: Right boys welcome back. I'm on a time crunch so I'll make this quick. This week's chapter comes from our friend Magicantix, who suggested an office AU! This was really fun to write and I kind of want to do more later; it just fits this relationship really well.**_

 _ **Reynabot: I'm glad you liked it friend!**_

 _ **DarkyLonewolf: Lel. Thanks my friend! Oh yeah big time, Sucy is the purest kind of tsundere. That sounds like a good one! I'll write that down. Though I think Sucy may react with less soft and more screaming and crying and panic attacking.**_

 _ **Eyyy I'm flattered my friend! I frequent TvTropes quite a lot (because lol writing) so its really cool to be a part of the lwa page!**_

 _ **Some Random Dude: Take your time my friend, my fics aren't going anywhere. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!**_

 _ **ThatFanFicGuy: R. I will fluff until the day I fucking die. Hah! You missed out on that train friend, but maybe it's just because you deserve compliments? :y Oooh, well if you haven't already done it by the time I get that far down in the list, I will definitely do something like that!**_

 _ **DuwangChew: Boy that shit you pulled with the two trees next to the bridge in your fic fucking killed me; you remain ruler of bridgefic. But I'm glad you enjoyed!**_

 _ **And I hope you all enjoy Akko being super gay.**_

* * *

To say that Akko Kagari wasn't the best worker would be an understatement: she was immature, she was loud, she was unskilled; no one was really sure how she got the job in the first place. But despite her shortcomings, no one had the heart to say anything mean about the brunette, attributed to her friendly attitude, determination, and bright sunny smile.

"Hey idiot, got that Excel doc done for me?"

Well 'No one' might be hyperbole; there was one.

Akko looked up from her computer to see a familiar shark toothed grin leaning over her cubicle's wall. The head of pink hair attached to the grin was tied up in a high professional bun, the woman's beautifully smooth pale face and sparkling red eyes on display for all.

The brunette gulped, swallowing the dreamy sigh that would have escaped otherwise.

"Ah! Ms. Manbavaran! I-I'm uh... almost there!" She stuttered, tearing her eyes away from her superior's neckline to frantically crash her fingers against the keyboard. "F-Forgive me!" She added apologetically, gnawing at her lip as the sound of clicking heels came closer and closer.

A sweet smell, similar to the scent of wet garden soil, floated into Akko's nose and a hand clamped down on the back of her chair, nearly letting a squeak past the brunette's lips.

"Hmm..." Ms. Manbavaran's voice vibrated extremely close to Akko's ear, sending electricity down her spine and a shiver through the rest of her body.

She dared not look left, locking her eyes on the columns and rows of the spreadsheet.

"Move these over below this." Her supervisor offered, pointing over the brunette's shoulder at the screen with a slender finger. "And uhhh... make this double spaced."

For at least five whole seconds, she did nothing, simply sitting there listening to her boss breathe while her brain melted into hot slag. It was all too much: the closeness, her voice, her beauty and form fitting outfit; Akko wanted to just disappear.

"Oi! I asked you to do something!"

A bop to the top of her head was more than enough to shake Akko from her trance, filling her face with red as she struggled to do as ordered, clicking uselessly before taking a deep shaky breath and remembering how the software actually worked.

"There we go, good girl." Ms. Manbavaran purred, giving another bop before stealing a sip of Akko coffee and slipping out of the cubicle. "I'll let you get back to work."

"I expect that done by lunch!" And then she was gone.

Akko collapsed over her desk, resting her head against the keyboard and putting a hand over her pounding heart.

She hated this job: the work was boring, the environment was suffocating, and the pay was barely more than she could make serving pancakes at IHOP.

But she kept coming every single day.

Because of _that._

"You seriously have it bad."

An amused voice drew Akko's attention to her opposite wall where a pair of eyes peeked just over and into the cubicle, a head of brushed back orange hair contrasting harshly against the greys and creams of the office.

The brunette groaned in response, turning her head back down to rest her forehead against the space-bar; causing a single cell in the spreadsheet to grow to ten times its original size. "Is it that obvious?"

Amanda snickered, lifting her face fully over the wall and resting her forearms on it. "Well you're not exactly subtle. Have you seen your face when she's around?" On one such occasion, the brunette's face flushed so red that it became comparable to her eyes; Sucy got a good laugh out of that, pressing a soda can against her face.

"If she punched me in the face I would probably say thank you..." Akko admitted, making a noise not dissimilar to that of a dying whale as she melted into her chair.

Another snort ripped out of the redhead and she shook her head. "Well I can't help you with that..." She started, lifting off of the wall and turning to lean back against it instead. "But maybe if you finish that spreadsheet she'll give you another pat on the head."

The image that idea placed in the brunette's head was incredibly pleasant: Ms. Manbavaran smiling approvingly at the tablet before giving the same smile to her, reaching out a gentle hand to pat her teasingly on the head, maybe even tousling up her hair a bit.

"God look at you." Amanda sighed with an audible roll of her eyes. "'Wish I could get that excited about something..."

Newly invigorated, Akko ignored the redhead's snide remarks, giving her entire focus to the software in front of her; starting with the incredibly large single cell she had created during her crush based meltdown.

 _'Alright Akko, let's make her proud.'_

She caught her pink haired supervisor on the way to lunch, bag slung over one shoulder and a protein bar of some kind in her mouth.

"Ms. Manbavaran!" The brunette called nervously, hugging the tablet to her for comfort chest like some sort of stuffed animal. "I-I finished it!"

Eyebrows jumping up into her hairline, Sucy took the food out of her mouth, chewing and swallowing properly before speaking. "Really?" She questioned, getting a rapid nod in response. "Well I guess you can at least follow orders. Lemme' see."

Akko turned the device around, waking it from sleep for her boss to look over.

"Mmm... Yup." She hummed, taking another bite of her bar. "Mhm, this will do fine."

The look of sheer relief and joy on the brunette's face was comical, an excited noise slipping past her lips as they released tension. "Really?"

Ms. Manbavaran's lips curled up at the edges in a small yet sincere smile. "Yeah, it's great." She offered, her smile then growing to become a wide impish grin. "I'm glad I was able to motivate you."

The brunette's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, carefully looking down at her shoes as to not accidentally ogle her boss' legs. "Y-You did! T-Thank you for the- for the help!"

A weight on the top of her head made Akko look up, maroon eyes meeting blood red ones.

"You respond well to this kind of stuff yeah?" Sucy inquired with a raise of her eyebrow, her grin subdued but still very much there.

Akko nodded slowly, face becoming hotter by the second.

"I'll remember that." The woman hummed, giving one last pet before removing her arm. "You do good work when you're motivated."

And then she walked away, leaving a very red brunette to cool down.

From that day forward, the others in the office began to notice their weakest link becoming stronger, churning out documents at until then unthought of speeds, and leaving the rest of them in the dust.

Though again no one said anything, owing to their supervisor's more frequent rounds and the brunette's accompanying flushed face.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Timecrunch, this was fun, want to write more, akko's gay, loveuall, bye**_


	13. That GOOOOD shit

_**A/N: Welcome back to time crunch, because Kap doesn't know how to use time properly. This week is some of that tried and true Married shiet you all deserve. It was originally going to be angsty but nah man I have enough of that planned for Rose. lel**_

 _ **DarkyLoneWolf: This idea is becoming more and more enticing the more I think about it. I'm glad you enjoyed!**_

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: Ey thanks friend! I'm glad you liked it. Now you've said it, it's not gonna go away. Fuckin watch your back boyo, one of these days I'm gonna drop the best coffeeshop Au you've ever read and it will be fluffy as shit. I have all this power and zero responsibility.**_

 _ **DuwangChew: That's because Sucy is- as English majors call it -A TSUNDERE FUCK who can flirt and fluster but can't come to terms with her own gay. Glad you enjoyed!**_

 _ **Magicantix: We hav to fourth dimensional shipping. I'm so glad you enjoyed friend! It was a really fun suggestion that now that I think of it has a lot of potential for follow ups... hmm...**_

 ** _Enjoy friends!_**

* * *

The incessant trill of a phone call pulled Sucy from her slumber, forcing the alchemist to lift her face from the carpet where she had collapsed hours before.

It was the store's phone too, a whole living room and a set of stairs away; the thought of such effort utterly repulsive to the exhausted witch.

"Akkkoooo..." She groaned into the apartment, dropping her head back down. "Phooone..."

The only response was a meow from behind her; Kiraboshi, their little black cat, grumbling in her sleep as the alchemist shifted beneath her.

That's right: Akko wasn't home yet.

And she'd be too busy driving to answer any kind of phone call.

Sucy groaned louder in defeat, rolling to the side and tipping the creature off of her back. "Sorry Kira... mummy's gotta take a call."

It was simply amazing that whoever was on the other side of the line was still there when the alchemist finally picked up the phone. Either it was because they had all the time in the universe or fully expected her to take a while.

Both potential options sounded similarly irritating.

"Redcap Pharmaceutical, Sucy Manbavaran speaking." It was a line she had practiced countless times over the years; one that became slightly confused after bouquet had been thrown.

Was she Mrs Manbavaran now? Sucy Manbavaran-Kagari? Or was it Kagari-Manbavaran?

Ugh, there it goes again.

A pointless endevour.

"H-Hello Mrs Manbavaran, I apologize for the late call." The girl on the other end began. She sounded young; assumedly still in high school, and the slight stutter to her voice told the alchemist all she really needed to know.

"We are indeed closed." Sucy replied dryly. "But I'm not one to push away potential customers." Being a private business owner was difficult; there were expenses piling up, debt from that winter that sat unpaid.

But more pressingly, Akko wanted a new couch.

"...You _are_ a customer, aren't you?"

"I- yes I am! -I mean, I'm hoping to be!" The girl stumbled nervously. "That's why I called!"

She then proceeded to launch into a long tangent about her school life: her studies, duties as a class representative, and her struggles to keep up with it all while still getting a good nights sleep.

Memories filled the witch's mind as she listened: of finding Akko laying facedown in her textbook in the morning, of crafting special blends of tea to help the brunette focus.

"O-One of the teachers comes to you for joint pain relief, and suggested your website." The girl explained further; the sound of keyboard clacking bringing Sucy back to the present day and to her job. "Though I am unsure what my problem is catagorized under? I needed a professional opinion."

Sucy reached under the desk, pulling out a thick leatherbound tome and pulling it open to the correct chapter. "Would you say you feel more mental or physical fatigue?"

The sound of the store's door-chime jingling brought Sucy's attention up out of dusty pages where a familiar bright sunny smile awaited her. The alchemist smiled back, bringing a finger to her lips before pointing to the phone in her hand, a silent apology in her eyes.

Akko simply nodded, gliding over to her wife and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek, continuing up the stairs with her bags.

"Was that someone?" The girl on the phone interrupted herself to ask. "I h-hope my indecisiveness isn't keeping you from more important things?"

Sucy shook her head, even though such things were pointless when she wasn't even visible to the customer. 'I hope idiocy isn't contagious... I live and sleep surrounded by that.'

"Just my wife coming home." The alchemist explained, toying with the end of a page. "After we're done here I should head up and get dinner started."

Ten minutes was all it took to find the right mixture: a relatively old potion originally meant to be used for pranks that was eventually discovered to have fantastic rejuvenating properties; sending someone immediately into REM sleep without all of the in between.

"You can come pick it up tomorrow before school; I'll be open then."

"Thank you Mrs. Manbavaran! Have a good night!"

Finally clamping the phone down onto the receiver, Sucy trudged up the stairs; stretching herself high towards the ceiling upon reaching the top.

"Another one reeled in?" Akko's voice called from the kitchen, followed by the sound and smell of sizzling meat.

"You know it." The alchemist replied, flashing one of her trademark grins as she swung around the counter to wrap her arms around her wife's waist.

"How was your day?" She murmured into the brunette's shoulder, watching the fats and oils of the beef melt away into nothingness.

Akko rolled the chunks over with a wooden spoon, revealing the browned underbelly and allowing the other sides time to become the same. "Nothing that special. We got a new cameraman though: sweet guy, wants to become a director."

Acting against her wishes to hold on to her love until the end of time, Sucy pulled away, opening one of the top cupboards in search of the ingredient Akko was about to ask for.

"I remember your production assistant days." She sighed, pressing the can of crushed tomatoes into the can opener. "Dark times. It was wake up, work, eat, sleep; I barely ever got to see your eyes open."

The brunette gave her wife a grateful kiss on the corner of her mouth, slowly beginning to pour the paste into the pan as she stirred the meat around. "I don't think I would have survived without your potions; energy, sleep, whatever I was lacking you had the answer for."

Sucy reached over and turned the leftmost element down, lifting the pot's lid and carefully pouring in the spaghetti.

Akko liked the long noodles, breaking one was a serious mistake that she dared not repeat again.

"Don't sell yourself short- pass me the salt there? You work harder than anyone." It was true: Akko's dream of show-business was deep seated, and there was nothing that stood in her way on the climb, determination burning through weeds and thorns like a wildfire. "But yes I am pretty incredible too."

"I won't disagree with you on either of those things." The brunette giggled, bumping her hip against her dearest's thigh.

She was most beautiful when she laughed, Sucy mused; the sunshine of her smile combined with the full and sweet sound of her happiness. In the past she dreamt of such sights: of Akko smiling and laughing at her side as they did simple things like cooking or cleaning, the comfortable weight of a gold band on her finger.

Sometimes it still felt like a dream, but then Akko would kiss her and make it all too real.

Loving life never came naturally to Sucy Manbavaran- or at least it never used to. But this life, with all of it's day to day stresses, responsibilities, and exhaustion, she would choose over everything else.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** **Beep boop gay. Enjoy your day.**_


	14. The Colour of Love

_**A/N: Welcome back to another exciting episode of Kap's fuckin gayshiet. This week we have a suggestion from Some Random Dude! They wanted to see a soulmate Au: specifically one where in which your world is in black an white until your soulmate touches you. I thought this really fit the kind of character arc Sucy has naturally in the show, what with Akko (and Lotte but to a slightly lesser extent) pulling her up from the depths of some pretty deep darkness and teaching her what real healthy relationships are like.**_

 ** _Not sure how I did on this, so please let me know!_**

 ** _DarkyLonewolf: Haha I'm glad you liked it friend! Two parter might work! I think I would want to upload both parts back to back, so that would require a little bit of time to think about how the whole thing would be structured. Good suggestion friend! Thanks!_**

 ** _Horseshoefijzer: You're doing fine friend! My review section is literally for anything you want to say: reactions, suggestions, whatever! I'm glad you enjoyed!_**

 ** _Shigiya: Married fluff makes me bleed sugar. I would do it literally every time if my brain wasn't so shit at making it feel different while essentially being just the same chapter over and over again. Thanks friend!_**

 ** _GeminiAlchemist:_** ** _( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_**

 ** _Some Random Dude: Its mainly self deprecation and the promise of an insane amount of self placed weight being lifted off my shoulders. My deadlines are self placed for no real reason other than if they weren't there my upload schedule would have hiatuses months long. I wouldn't want to subject you guys to that, I know how shit it is to get to the end of an updating fic and having to wai for a new chapter. Writing the story early would make everything easier on me, but I'm really really shit at using time effectively so it would boil down to the same last second grind anyway. Thanks for the words of encouragement my friend, they really mean a lot to me!_**

 ** _TheHybridGryph: I'm so glad you enjoyed my dude! Fluffy fics with coffee in the morning are the best aren't they?_**

 ** _I hope you all have a pleasant morning! Or night... or afternoon..._**

* * *

Ever since she was a child, Sucy Manbavaran's world was gray and lifeless. Colour was a foreign concept to her, only visible as faint glimpses in the night as she dreamt; the sun would seem a little brighter and the grass would look a little healthier, but In the next second it was gone, leaving her in the dark.

She remembered hearing adults talk about colour- they would comment on the beautiful yellows of their friend's tulips or the blue of the sky -but never understood what they meant until years later, in the home of the first person to ever show her love.

"The world we are born into is a miserable gray place..." The elderly alchemist explained, taking a swig from her steaming mug. "But one day, you will find that missing colour- another soul that completes you, and you will never want for beauty again."

And so Sucy eagerly waited for her colours- her other half.

She waited... and waited... and waited, growing ever more jaded and hopeless with each rise and fall of the cold white sun.

Just as she was about to give up completely- about to give in to the soul crushing weight and emptiness, something incredible happened.

It was an afternoon in spring, and Sucy was slowly making her way across her college campus grounds towards the library, trying her best to ignore the happy smiles and laughter all around her; most had found their light by now, and were simply enjoying life.

 _It wasn't fair._

She kept her head down, looking at her feet as she walked down the sidewalk, carefully stepping over cracks in the cement where green blades of grass poked through.

 _'Wait... green?'_

Sucy blinked rapidly, looking up in disbelief as the blacks and whites and grays slowly filled with an alien warmth: life and beauty where there once was nothing. Though they were dull and washed out, it was still the brightest her world had ever been: she was almost overwhelmed.

"E-Excuse me?"

There was a hesitant tap on her shoulder, and then almost became a definite as Sucy turned her head.

Colours- all of them -suddenly exploded into existence, causing Sucy to recoil; it was like looking at the sun.

"Ah! I'm sorry- did I scare you?" Vision clearing, the chem student came face to face with the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life bar none.

Soft chocolate brown hair and deep red eyes, a nervous smile creasing light pink lips; the girl in front of her seemed to radiate colour, infecting the world around them with warmth and light.

"N-No- I-" Her mouth hung open, flapping uselessly as she tried to say anything coherent, her eyes boring deep into the girl's skin.

The brunette flushed, nervously averting her eyes, and dear lord it was adorable- she was adorable.

"H-Hello." Sucy murmured, finally getting her mouth to cooperate. "Did you want to ask me something?" She had long since realized she was staring, but in her awe, the love-struck chemist couldn't look away if she wanted to.

For the record, she didn't want to look away- never would she ever want to take her eyes off of such an incredible sight.

"Yes I- I was looking for the library." The brunette explained, fidgeting with the edge of one of the many papers stacked in her arms. "I'm new here if that wasn't obvious and... you just happened to be there when I looked up from my map."

Sucy didn't believe in any divine entity, but she silently praised who or whatever brought this literal bundle of sunshine into her gray world. Of all the billions of people on this hopeless little planet, what were the odds that the one individual among them that could complete her would just so happen to go to the same college as her?

"I can help you!" The chemist cringed inwardly at how desperate she sounded. "I mean- I'm on my way to the library right now, if- if you wanted to come with me?" Her throat felt dry and it was hard to swallow. She didn't want to screw this up; utterly terrified that if this beautiful little lady disappeared, she would be dragged back into that cold and lonely darkness.

Thankfully the brunette seemed relieved, letting out a heavy breath. "Would you do that for me?" She asked with a growing smile of gratitude. "Thank you so much! I'm Akko!"

 _'No... thank_ _you_ _.'_ Sucy thought, basking in the glow of the angel's bright beaming smile and mouthing her name slowly. _'Ah.. ko'_

"Oh- uh-" She stuttered, realizing she was supposed to offer her own name as well. "Sucy! I'm uh... my name." _Brilliant._

Akko simply giggled, a sound that summoned a flock of butterflies inside of the chem student's stomach, so many new feelings she had never experienced before, revealing themselves within a matter of minutes.

"Just follow me."

Side by side, the two girls walked down the stairs and across the lawn where a large brick building towered in the distance.

"That's a library?!" The brunette cried incredulously, running a few feet ahead before spinning on her feet to meet her new friend's equally stunned gaze. "The city really is bigger and better!"

Akko was sparkling: the green grass and blue skies contrasting beautifully against her almost mystical ruby eyes; the sunlight making them shimmer like the most priceless of gemstones.

Ever since she was a child, Sucy Manbavaran's world was gray and lifeless. Throughout the years she heard stories of love; read countless books on the topic, as if to experience by way of paper and ink what she herself would never experience.

But here, standing in the centre of mid-afternoon traffic as people laughed and yelled around her, Sucy saw colour- she felt love.

 _"...one day, you will find that missing colour- another soul that completes you, and you will never want for beauty again."_

And she never did.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Good gay shiet. Was kinda hard to write at some points?**_ **H** **opefully** _ **it wasn't**_ **shit.**

 **BY THE WAY Rose in winter is slowly chugging along... I've been almost done the next chapter for like three days now.**

 **WRITERS BLOOOOCK *shakes fist at sky***


	15. Special

_**A/N: Welcome back to delaybois. Writers block hit at the worst possible time this week. Literally right at the end. Nevertheless I hope you find this chapter enjoyable! It started on the suggestion a lot of you had that I should write the inevitable conclusion to that Ursula chapter where in which Akko does her best to show Sucy how much she cares. I'm not sure if what I ended up with is that? But it's fluffy as shit nonetheless.**_

 _ **Magicantix: I'm glad you liked it friend! I think in the au its usually both parties who are without colour, but I felt it more appropriate in this case for Akko to be pretty normal. Perhaps her colours became slightly brighter instead?**_

 _ **Reynabot: Fluff Rocket Detonation: Target 2 Eliminated.**_

 ** _DarkyLonewolf: I also think the concept is really neat! I've read a whole bunch of fics in different fandoms using it and they were fantastic! It is such a fitting au for these two as well! I would say insulin, tissues, and maybe something for hype; we're getting started on A Rose in Winter Act II this weekend._**

 ** _GeminiAlchemist: Eyy thanks friend! Here's the thing with how my writing works; most scenes originate from dreams and or images I have in my head, so in a way I can already make them smooch whenever I damn well please! *Distant Laughter*_**

 ** _SomeRandomDude: Fluff Rocket Detonation: Target 1 Eliminated. Yeah Sucy is a really malleable character that's dependent on her past so its hard to make her really feel like Sucy sometimes. Thanks for the feedback! AND YEAH KINDA- THAT'S AKKO's THING. Well she is gonna be an entertainer so it's probably for the best that she has that ability._**

 ** _SHIPTASTIC: Fuckign when I read your name I could hear the battle narrator from xenoblade 2 in my head (good game i reccomend). But to answer your question: Y e s_**

 ** _I hope you enjoy this slightly delayed edition of gayshiet._**

* * *

"Hey Sucy!~" Akko's rather loud voice echoed down the hallway, somehow overpowering the roar of other voices to reach her ears.

The alchemist turned her head just as her best friend skidded to a stop mere centimetres from barreling into her back. "Hey there." She offered with slight twitch at the edge of her mouth. "What's got you looking so happy? Something good happen?"

"I'm always happy when I get to see you!" Hugging her books close to her chest, Akko beamed, smiling bright as the morning sun. "Don't sound so surprised!"

Sucy turned her head bashfully, scuffing the tip of her right shoe against the heel of her left.

"Are you sure about that?" She pressed before returning her gaze to those endless ruby red depths. "Get a grade higher than 60? A teacher pat you on the head?"

"Y-You saw a bird or something?" She shrugged; her brain exhausted of any other possibilities.

"Nope!" Akko replied simply, her eyes creasing as she smiled just a bit brighter. "Just you!"

Feeling something in her stomach flutter and a warmth creep up from the back of her neck, Sucy once again looked away, this time turning around completely to continue walking.

Akko skipped her way to the alchemist's side, still hugging her books. "We have our next class together!" She happily announced, bumping their shoulders together as they walked side by side. "

The brunette was acting noticeably different this week- a fact that did not slip past Sucy's keen eyes. She seemed... friendlier somehow? More affectionate? Akko was already a generally peppy girl, so no one would have noticed, including Sucy if not for the fact that most or all of this new behaviour was directed at her.

She was always exploiting opportunities to be closer, whether that be holding onto the alchemist's sleeve in crowded hallways so they 'wouldn't be separated', or 'forgetting' her book so that she could shuffle her chair closer in order to share Sucy's.

There were more things too: Akko stood a lot closer to her than before, only millimetres between their shoulders as they listened to lectures; she always turned to look whenever her best friend spoke, as if every word that left her mouth was important and interesting.

Though it may have been slightly anxiety provoking at first, it made the alchemist feel special, something that was a complete foreign concept to her until today; for the first time in her life, she felt needed.

Had she done something to deserve this?

The only thing that came to mind was roughly four days ago when she helped Akko with a history paper, but that was normal for roommates- right? Certainly not something to warrant such a shift.

"Whatcha' thinking about?"

Akko's voice pulled the alchemist from the depths of her brain back out into the real world, coming face to face with a pair of sparkling red eyes. The brunette was leaning over the desk, her face resting in her hands as her elbows rested against the wood.

"Nothing..." Though remaining stone-faced, a familiar heat once again began creeping up Sucy's neck. She couldn't just say 'I was thinking about you', that could be misconstrued to mean a variety of things she didn't want currently want it to mean.

But Akko's big dumb adorable face was still inches from her own, and tiny voice inside of her whispered treasonous things.

 _'Isn't she beautiful today?'_

 _'She's been so kind to you hasn't she? A little kiss sounds like a sufficient reward.'_

Though the brunette didn't seem to buy her blanket denial, she didn't press it, pushing herself up to standing with another lovely smile. "Well If you ever do have something to talk about, I'm here to listen."

There it was again, the swarm of butterflies flipping and twirling inside of her; that feeling of warmth in her icy heart she had only felt a total of twice before.

"Thanks..." Was all Sucy could say in response, moving her gaze down into her textbook where it stayed for the rest of the period, even as Akko entertained herself with her fingers.

"Where do you want to sit?" Akko asked later as lunch was served, looking to take the alchemist's opinion into consideration; making Sucy feel like the centre of her world. "I'd like to get some fresh air."

She was just about to shrug and give some non-committal answer, shoving the responsibility to Lotte, but then they met eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.

 _'She wants to hear what you have to say.'_

 _'She cares about you.'_

"Uh... maybe under a tree?" She offered, burning the stir fry on her tray with the intensity of her gaze. "We can sit together outside and I don't have to be in the sun."

Akko smiled brightly, seemingly pleased by the alchemist's participation. "Let's go!" She then proceeded to hook their elbows together, reaching to do the same to Lotte.

The mousy finn's face suddenly lit up as if she remembered something important at that moment; hopping up and away from the other two. "Ah! Professor Ursula wanted to see me at lunch! I forgot!"

Sucy scrunched her face, not for a second believing the excuse; too many times had Lotte abandoned her to deal with their roomate alone. "No. You didn't speak to- _LOTTE_!"

But she was already rushing away, snickering to herself as she vanished into the crowds.

The brunette didn't emote during this entire exchange, instead keeping her sunny smile and tugging at Sucy's elbow with her own. "That's a shame, but at least you and me are still together, right?"

Something was caught in the alchemist's throat, making her unable to voice her objections as she was dragged out of the cafeteria.

After only a small amount of searching, the girls found a suitably large tree to sit under near to the school's greenhouse. The alchemist praised whatever deity would listen that the ground was not damp; she had enough to deal with without grass stains added to that list.

As they ate in relative quiet, Akko had slowly and nervously shuffled closer to her viper of a roommate, as if she was testing to see how far Sucy would allow. It turned out to be a lot, as the alchemist continued to eat undisturbed even when Akko was all but sitting in her lap.

On any other day if someone were to sit close to the alchemist- invade her personal bubble, she would have growled or glared, maybe even push them away, but as Sucy was continuously reminded: it was not any other day, for either of them.

"Why are you so cuddly today?" She sighed, lifting her arm to wrap around the brunette's neck before tensing with a squint of her eyes. "You haven't done something have you? Trying to make it up to me?"

Akko flushed, fidgeting with her fork as she leaned against the alchemist's shoulder "N-No! I just- I wanted to..." She began before trailing off.

"...I just wanted to be closer to you." The small tone she used made Sucy's heart clench; the icy wasteland that was her heart melting instantaneously. "You're special to me..."

Now Sucy Manbavaran wasn't an impulsive person- not by a long shot -but at that moment, her entire body moved independently of what her logical mind was thinking.

"You're special to me too." She murmured, pressing her lips gently against Akko's temple, to which the brunette seized up, her face igniting into what could only be called 'tomato red'.

And yet, her mouth was creased in a wide smile, far brighter than even the shining sun above their head.

"W-What's got you looking so happy?" Sucy stuttered, trying to remain calm.

Akko turned to look at her, ruby red eyes sparkling. "Something good just happened."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thinking about it, the writers block probably stems from my current super excitement for A Rose in Winter; I just want to work on that for a billion years. ACT II BOOOOOOOOOOOOOIS**_

 _ **Thanks for reading! See you all next week!**_


	16. Love and Care (part 1)

_**A/N: Welcome welcome friends! This week and next week are gonna be two parts of one whole suggestion given to us by DarkyLonewolf! It was actually really smooth sailing; once I got going it only took me one sitting! Good thing too because instead of writing for the first scheduled day I watched all of Re Zero. HOOOOOLY SHIT is that anime soul crushingly sad. At one point it was physically hard to watch, but the happy ending helped patch up the trauma. (somewhat)**_

 ** _DarkyLonewolf: I am not liable for any damages to your person, academic career, and or mind that may arise as a result of reading this fluff. That being said, I hope your course is going well!_**

 _ **Shigiya: Lotte is the real MVP, she also might be possessing me with magic and making me write Sukko fluff. I am okay with that possibility. Glad you liked it!**_

 ** _GeminiAlchemist: I have no experience with ice cream making, HOWEVER: I can make a sukko chapter where in which they eat/share ice cream. I'm writing that down as we speak._**

 ** _DuwangChew: Vague fluff is my element my dude, you merely adopted the fluff; I was born in it- molded by it. Glad my fluff still sustains!_**

 _ **Some Random Dude: I know that feel man, one day you shall experience the anime glory of xenoblade 2. Also the DRAMA. Nah man you're fuckin ded, my fluff shall crush all resistance. You shall perish with the image of the otp smooching seared onto your brain. Glad you like it!**_

 ** _Hope you enjoy friends!_**

* * *

The wind outside blustered harshly against the windows; leaves, pebbles, and twigs occasionally hitting the glass. The sun had gone down hours ago, casting Luna Nova into the darkness of a moonless night. Most of the school had retired to their rooms for the night, eager to wrap up in warm blankets and wait out the storm, but a few still quietly milled about, enjoying the quiet.

Sucy was one of them, sitting in a dark corner of the cafeteria nearest the windows, peacefully drinking her favourite tea from a large mug as she read through a thick tome on herbalism.

She loved her friends- despite what the other witches would whisper -she truly did, but sometimes she needed time to herself; time to recharge the batteries after dealing with such happy people.

Akko apparently felt something similar, as instead of excitedly badgering everyone she came across about what they would do on a Friday night, she decided to head to the library and actually take the time to be tutored properly.

There was a strange feeling in the alchemist's chest when she heard the news, something akin to pride- she was proud of Akko and how far the little idiot had come.

 _'You both have done a lot of growing recently, haven't you?'_

Looking out the window at the school grounds below, Sucy sighed, her brain assaulted by images of past and present. There was a level of responsibility to the brunette now; a little voice where there wasn't one before, making her question her actions for a few seconds longer than she would otherwise and giving her a list of the consequences.

On the opposite side, Sucy had always had little voices in her mind; ever since she could remember. Some were of reason, keeping her thoughts and feelings grounded in reality; many were of chaos, whispering to her all the ways she could ruin someone's day, torture them mercilessly, how _funny_ it would be to see them cry. And recently, as little as a year ago, there was a new voice in the mix; louder than all the rest.

 _'Maybe you could do something for her? Show how proud you really are.'_

Initially, the alchemist fought violently against the little girl; doing the exact opposite of what she suggested, listening more to the little voices of chaos instead of her, and finally flat out ignoring her existence.

But then Akko would smile at her, or talk to her, or hug her, and the voice came back, louder than ever and screaming in excitement.

 _'I wonder why that is?'_ The voice mocked with a giggle. _'Come on, say it with me now.'_

Sucy sighed heavily, leaning down to press her cheek against the tome's pages.

"Akko's my best friend..." She mumbled into the papyrus. "...I love her a lot."

 _'There we go! Isn't that better?'_

Though she was loath to admit it, saying it out loud did bring a certain warmth to the alchemist's heart.

"I hate you..." She growled, hiding the tiny pick flush on her cheeks with a combination of her hand and the book beneath her.

 _'That's perfectly fine. You are, after all, talking to yourself.'_

Sucy groaned, turning to face downwards into the tome's binding; lifting both hands up to grab fistfuls of her soft pink hair. "I'm crazy..."

 _'Crazy in looooove~'_

The alchemist's self loathing was interrupted by sudden shouting, multiple voices that echoed through the empty halls of the school.

"Call the nurse!" The loudest one cried, and there was a murmur- someone else talking. "I don't fucking care! Call anyone dammit, she's hurt!"

Sucy could recognize that angry shouting anywhere.

Shoving her chair aside, Sucy glided across the cafeteria floor with the speed of a striking viper, rushing out into the hallways towards the commotion.

As expected, she found Amanda O'Neil shouting as a rather frightened looking student ran in the opposite direction from her, hopefully- if someone was seriously hurt -following commands. Blair was with her as well, one of her long blonde ponytails between her teeth to stop her from anxiously biting her lips off.

Eventually the alchemist's eyes fell on the girl they held up, an arm around each of their necks, and her heart seized.

Akko was messed up pretty badly, blood dripping from long scratches and skinned flesh; the signs of recent bruises slowly growing all over her arms and legs. One leg was slightly raised to keep pressure off of it, the telling redness and inflammation no doubt because of something fractured or sprained inside.

Sucy swallowed the urge to rush forward and run her hands all over the brunette's body in search of other injuries, sucking in a shaky breath instead and slowly making her way up to the trio with a somewhat calm expression.

"W-What... What happened?" She stuttered breathlessly, inwardly cursing how weak she sounded.

 _'You sound worried.'_ The little girl corrected. _'That's normal.'_

The brunette looked up from the ground where she had been burning a hole with her downcast gaze, eyes widening at the sudden appearance of her best friend.

"Ah! Sucy! I- uh..." Akko glanced down at her disheveled appearance, at the many cuts and darkening bruises, before looking the alchemist in the eyes.

"I-It was just a little spill, that's all!" She lied, cringing as she tried to smile. "Everything's fine!"

"It was _not_ a little spill!" Amanda objected, glaring irately at the side of Akko's head. "You got fucking totaled! Don't try and minimize this!"

The brunette deflated, looking back down at her feet, one of which was missing a sock and shoe. "I really messed up..."

There were so many things Sucy wanted to say and do at that moment, and all the voices in her head fought for dominance.

 _'Kick her in the leg!'_

 _'You don't need to be here, a teacher is coming anyway.'_

 _'Make fun of her for being so dumb!'_

 _'Abandon her!'_

 _'She's the one who got herself hurt, why should you care?'_

 _'See what a weakling she is? We don't need her!'_

 ** _'Help her...'_**

Clenching her fist for a second, Sucy suddenly sighed and spun on her heels, walking away from the trio.

"Sucy!" Akko called after, fear of having angered the alchemist causing her voice to waver. "Where are you going?!"

The pink haired witch stopped, turning her head back with a confused expression; her one visible eyebrow creasing. "To get you a chair? Where did you think I was going?"

"I need to close those cuts, idiot." She huffed, the sides of her lips twitching upwards. "Just wait here."

Months ago, she might have ignored that loudest voice, or even actively try to defy it, but she had since learned what a futile endeavor that was. She would always win- Akko's adorable face and sunny smile would always win.

She never even stood a chance.

* * *

 _ **A/N: You can't run from your gay Sucy, she is sentient and knows where you sleep.**_

 _ **The only roadblock with this chapter was thinking of how badly I wanted to beat up Akko and the situation that would put her in such a state. I was specifically instructed to not put her into an intensive care unit, so that reigned in the angst fest this chapter would have been otherwise. lol**_

 _ **Next chapter is recovery! Some nice fluffy care taking fic.**_

 ** _See you next week!_**


	17. Love and Care (part 2)

_**A/N: Welcome back to uhhhhhhh Kap can't use time effectively. Coming back at you with part two of that fuckin hurt/comfort fic. This is less changing bandages and feeding soup and more of the dere dere part from our resident tsundere.**_

 _ **ALSO DREAM SEQUENCES Because that's my bread and butter.**_

 _ **Good shit.**_

 _ **DarkyLonewolf: I'm really glad you like how its turning out so far! It was a very interesting suggestion that got me thinking about the natural progression of Sucy's character. Throughout the show she slowly defrosts from not wanting anything to do with Akko or anyone else to truly and deeply caring for her friends- showing that care too! As the years go by, Sucy would begin to actively want more of that change; I think a situation in which her best friend gets seriously injured is just the push she needs to dive right into the deep end. Thanks friend!**_

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: Hah, its fine my dude. Just seeing any sign of you guys in my review box puts a smile on this face; it can be a simple as two words! BUT WHILE I'M HERE AND I REMEMBER: Your collection continues to be amazingly adorable- even if I suck at reviewing regularly know that I'm enjoying every chapter. I'm amazed at the consistent quality and quantity of your stuff. You're doing a really good job friend! And thank you for your kind words in turn!**_

 ** _Apologies_** _ **for the wait my friends! Hope you enjoy the result!**_

* * *

 _"I just can't believe you cut yourself on a wall." The puce haired woman cackled, pressing the cotton ball against the wound, the familiar burn of antiseptic making her patient cringe in pain._

 _"I don't know how these things ha- AHG! -appen!" She cried out, nearly jerking her arm out of her dearest's grip. "I think being with you for so long has put a curse on me."_

 _Continually dabbing against the slowly scabbing injury, the taller and slimmer woman bent over to kiss her wife's wrist. "Even if that was the case..." She murmured, folding her legs further beneath herself. "There's no way I'd ever set you free; you're my prisoner until the end of time."_

 _Akko felt her lips curl upwards, even as another bolt of pain shot through her arm. The alchemist's touch was firm yet gentle; keeping her from moving away from the treatment she needed while making her feel as comfortable as possible._

 _Underneath all that frost and thorns, there really was a genuine sweetheart._

 _"I don't think I would leave even if you kicked me to the door." She admitted, flicking her eyes up to look at the woman's tender expression. "You know me: I'd just come flying in through the window, whether it was open or not."_

 _Once the cut was sufficiently clean, her 'doctor' began to scrounge through their medical box, picking out the dorkiest princess band-aid available and applying it ever so gently._

 _"Perfect." She grinned, bending over again to lay a kiss right in the centre of the bandage._

 _It was such a familiar grin; one of warmth but also of mischief._

 _That bright shark-toothed smile was the last thing Akko saw before the edges of her vision began to be swallowed by fog; the words flowing from her wife's lips sounding muffled and far off, like at the bottom of a pond._

 _It all faded away until ev_ entually she was alone in the darkness; the familiar sight of the backs of her eyelids allowing her wandering brain to achor itself back to reality.

 _'A dream then...'_ She mused, rolling her head to the side so that her cheek pressed against the cool fabric of the pillow.

At that moment, long fingers brushed against Akko's forehead, brushing chocolate brown bangs away from her eyes before migrating towards the top of her head to rest there. The weight was comforting, and the gentle hand's idle rubbing further soothed the brunette; pushing her back towards oblivion.

"I wonder what she dreams about..." A voice murmured very close by. "Probably something dumb and meaningless."

Akko resented that assertion: her dreams were very interesting and representational! She whined lightly, rubbing her head up against the rude voice's hand in an pathetic attempt to push it away.

There was an amused snort, but the hand removed itself anyway, allowing Akko some small feeling of victory. "Finally coming back to us, guinea pig?"

The brunette's lashes fluttered open, revealing an extremely blurry purple and blue blob somewhere above her. "Who...?" She tried to start, squinting as she tried to make the blob come into focus.

"Oh man, you are really out of it aren't you? Can you even see me?" Something that was distictly hand shaped waved in front of Akko's face, causing her to blink rapidly.

That seemed to do it, and slowly the purple blob became a head of familiar puce hair.

"Sucy...?" The brunette recognized, moving to try to sit up before a shot of immense pain shot up her back.

"Oi! Lay back down idiot!" Sucy shouted, pushing down on her best friend's chest; forcing her back down into the bed. "There are no more open wounds but your body needs time to move everything back into place; you'll be hurting for a while."

Akko's face scrunched in confusion. "Wounds?" She murmured, rubbing the sand of sleep out of her eyes. "How did I...?"

"Wow." The alchemist blinked, a smidgen of concern on her face. "Lukic must've given you something strong."

"Lukic had to get involved?" The brunette realized with a groan, rolling her head to look upwards at the wooden ceiling. "I must have messed up bad then..."

From her place at her best friend's bedside, Sucy shook her head, standing up to tuck the brunette snugly beneath the covers again.

"You just took a spill is all." She explained, smoothing out the duvet. "Don't worry about what happened; just focus on feeling better." The way the alchemist spoke was different than usual; as Akko laid there silently, she took note of the warmer tone and smoother inflection.

Sucy Manbavaran's typical behaviour could be best likened to falling icicles- cold, quick, and sharp -but in that moment, the ice had fully melted away, allowing Akko to see the shining candlelight hiding underneath.

"Have you been taking care of me?" She asked carefully, focusing on the alchemist's folded hands or her rolled up sleeves; anywhere but her face.

Sucy seemed to fidget bashfully at the question, scooting the chair she sat upon forwards just a hair. "I uh- Yeah? I mean yes. I have."

"You can never do anything yourself after all- just useless." And the frost was back; a shield of ice to protect her tiny flame from even the slightest of breezes.

The brunette pouted, more at the wall of hostility than the jab at herself personally; her friend's rare moments of openness were a treasure, and she was _greedy._

"I'm ill!" Akko grumbled, freeing her hands to pull a blanket up to her nose. "Don't be so mean; We're friends aren't we?"

Though there was hardly any real force or resentment behind what she said, Sucy recoiled anyway as if struck physically by the words. Her eyes jumped from place, looking past the wood and carpet and cloth to see the images of her mind instead.

After what must have been at least ten seconds of internal debate, Sucy jerked, shaking her head quickly to pull herself back to reality. "I'm- I'm sorry..." She stuttered, looking down at her hands as they clenched into fists and relaxed. "It's a defensive reflex- I don't mean to-"

The alchemist took a deep breath, holding for a second or two before letting it all back out in a heavy sigh.

"You- You're my best friend, I should treat you like it."

Holding back the urge to thrust both arms up in victory, Akko instead relaxed, allowing the blanket to fall back to below her chin and wiggling closer to the edge of the bed.

"Can you put your hand back on my head then?" The brunette requested, her sleepy red eyes shimmering as the sun appeared from behind its veil of clouds. "It felt really nice..."

Sucy was taken aback yet again, looking from her overturned palm to Akko's expectant smile and back again; seemingly shocked at the idea of being given express consent to touch someone.

"I-" She almost began, before the sight of her best friend closing her eyes forcefully shoved away all doubt.

"Okay."

Reaching out, the alchemist gently placed her pale hand amongst Akko's soft chocolate tresses, tentatively allowing her fingertips to slip into a brown tangle where they then began to rub against the girl's scalp.

"Thanks... Sucy..." The brunette yawned, nuzzling into Sucy's cool and gentle touch. "You're the best..."

Curling her lips into her mouth to stop herself from making any unnecessary sounds, Sucy took in the look of absolute bliss on her darling idiot's face.

A face that said "Come injury, pain, or sickness; I'm exactly where I want to be."

The feeling was mutual.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I have actually cut myself on a perfectly flat wall before. Fucking god knows how that happened, but I somehow managed it._**

 ** _Put me in the fucking history books._**


	18. Polaris (part 1)

_**A/N: Welcome back to EVERYTHING IS LATE AND LORD CHRONOS IS OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE WITH A VERY THREATENING WASHING BOARD. Writers block came sudden this weekend and stayed long, Fuckin Suffering my dudes.**_

 ** _Today's chapter is about Akko finally meeting the only source of love and care Sucy had ever known before coming to Luna Nova. It's a little bit longer than usual and I might end up just adding more to it next chapter. That being said keep sending in those suggestions, if you've sent them before but they haven't been made into a chapter yet send those again too. I'm gonna actually properly write these things down like a responsible person._**

 ** _DarkyLonewolf: I'm glad you liked it friend! It was lovely to write for you! I'm gonna fuckin read that garbage and I'm going to absolutely cherish every word of it. Get ready fucko._**

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: Indeed my friend! Making it through chapter by chapter, always excited to see what the next will bring! You do not disappoint. Also it's utterly fascinating to see the differences in our writing styles for the same characters.**_

 _ **Listen... theres some spooky business in my house; I would bet my fuckin fourth toe on my left foot that the wall attacked me.**_

 ** _Go for it you absolute madman. I wil it alongside the rest of this world's fluff._**

 ** _TheHybridGryph: That's right my dude, we marriedbois now. I'm glad you enjoyed!_**

 ** _Latebois._**

* * *

If Akko had learned one thing over two years of friendship with her vicious viper of a roommate, it was that she was not someone who got visibly upset. So when the alchemist came into class that morning anxiously fidgeting and running her hands through her messy purple locks, Akko was immediately tipped off.

"Are you doing all right Sush?" The brunette tentatively inquired, trying her best to keep her voice at a steady volume and her distance respectful. Sucy was a difficult beast to comfort; it only took a single misstep for her to completely close herself up. "You look kind of stressed."

Sucy jerked, as if ripped forcefully from the abyssal depths of her own brain. Recognizing the head of brown hair after a half second pause, the alchemist stared into Akko with conflicted eyes, seemingly at war with herself- weighing her options; how much she wanted to reveal about her internal crisis.

"I've..." She tried before sealing her lips shut once more.

Eventually the louder, less isolationist half of the alchemist won out, and she let out a heavy sigh, bringing the back of a hand up to rub at her forehead. "I've been in contact with my uh... siblings I guess you'd call them."

"The old lady hasn't been feeling so good."

The brunette nodded, folding her arms behind her back; Sucy usually kept to herself, but on rare occasions would offhandedly mention her adoptive family. There was a mother figure that she called 'Granny' or 'old lady', as well as at least five other children- maybe more.

"And you're worried about her?" Akko prodded gently, taking another step forward.

Running her left hand through her hair for the sixth time since entering the classroom, the alchemist took a deep breath.

"Yeah. I'm thinking of leaving at lunch to go check up on her."

Taking the final step so that she was right in front of the alchemist, Akko tilted her head, stretching her lips in a sunny smile. "Would you like me to come with you? Moral support?"

Dropping her gaze to stare at the brunette's shoes, Sucy mulled over it, seeing if there were any other challengers within her mind that could dethrone the dragon.

There weren't

"I think I would like that..." The alchemist murmured hesitantly, fiddling with the hem of her vest. "We would uh- We would need to let the headmistress know first."

It was typically much harder for Akko to get permission to do something than her other friends, but this time proved different. Headmistress Holbrooke seemed rather surprised at the alchemist's request, and was so for the planned outing that the request for Akko's accompaniment was naught but a sidenote.

As soon as class was let out for lunchtime, the girls took to the air, speeding through the ley-line portal and through the branches of Yggdrasil.

Coming out the other side, the girls were immediately drenched with rain. Their destination could have been easily mistaken for the wetlands of Somerset had it not been for the vastly higher temperatures hitting them smack in the face.

"Akko!" Sucy yelled over the falling water. "Shield us! Now!"

Fumbling to pull her wand off of her belt, Akko began violently waving it around; hoping visualization of the intended result would be good enough.

It wasn't perfect, but the splotchy shield at least kept their clothes from getting more soaked than they already were. Flying just high enough to not block their path with trees, but low enough to not stand out against the sky, the girls came to a clearing just outside the town; a moderately size house with pieces of smaller houses surgically attached in odd places.

"This is your house?" The brunette quizzed in awe as they touched down onto the grass. "Why is it all..." She reached for the right word, grasping blindly.

"Mismatched?" Sucy offered, smirking lopsidedly. "Granny didn't always plan on having so many kids living with her; a house can only hold so many without alteration."

Walking quickly up to the front door, the alchemist opened the screen; turning her head to signal Akko to follow her inside.

"Gran! James!" She called into the entryway, casually kicking off her shoes. "I'm home!"

Following her roommate through her home, Akko saw traces of life scattered all around: toys that had yet to be put away, a blanket with dogs on tossed onto the couch, a cereal bowl abandoned in the rush to make it to school.

"Sucy!" A dark skinned boy met them half-way, just outside the second living-room; he must have been 14 or 15, but the more mature way he carried himself was telling.

"I thought you might be coming today-" In his excitement to see his pseudo sister, the Filipino boy completely missed the other girl standing right behind her. "Who's this?"

The alchemist glanced from Akko to her sibling, her brows twitching in confusion. "James? Have I... never talked about Akko before?" She blinked twice, staring off into space; looking genuinely concerned.

"Why would I leave out something so important?"

It warmed the brunette's heart and cheeks to be referred to as 'something important', goading her to happily skip to Sucy's side, grabbing hold of the witch's arm and attention; hugging tight.

"How could you forget about this cute face?" Akko teased, poking a finger into her left cheek and twisting with a cheeky smile. "And here I thought I was your best friend?" There was no sincerity in her pouty whine, but Sucy looked apologetic.

" _You are_." She verified firmly, turning her head back toward her sibling. " _She is._ "

"Where's Granny?" Topic switching on a dime, Sucy focused back in on to who she came home to help. "I can brew something that will help her get back on her feet, but first I need to know what's wrong."

James stepped aside, allowing Sucy to see into the second living room, where a long, bony, almost corpse-like hand reached up in the air, waving her over.

Laying across the couch, wrapped in so many snug layers she could easily be mistaken for an entombed mummy, was a _very_ old woman.

Her long frizzy hair was snow white, looking like it hadn't been brushed or cut in half a century; her coco brown skin was less wrinkled than one would expect, yet it was clear that little muscle or extra flesh remained beneath it. Black spots and bumps dotted across her nose and under her eyes before disappearing beneath the blankets that covered her; the inevitable march of time taking its toll on the witch even as she continued to cheat the reaper.

The closest thing Sucy had to a mother.

Ramzan Manbavaran.

"Is that Sucy?" The elderly woman breathed, blinking away sleep from her hazel eyes. "It feels like an eternity since I've seen your face."

"Hey Granny..." Sucy knelt down next to the couch, taking out her wand and slowly scanning from head to toe for the cause of this sickness. "I heard you were sick so I came to help."

A wheezing cackle bubbled up from the wtich's chest, utter amusement that reminded Akko of her mischievous roommate after a particularly cruel prank.

"When did you become so caring?" Ramzan jabbed before ending her laughter with a hacking cough.

It was then that her eyes fell on Akko; piercing, ancient eyes that looking straight through her and into her soul. Looking the brunette up and down, Sucy's guardian began to slowly nod, understanding washing over her face.

"I see..." She hummed, moving her piercing gaze back to her adoptive child. "You've found yourself a north star... and followed it back to shore."

Sucy froze, ceasing her scan for a second or two before continuing. "I... I have." She murmured, jaw clenching. "The storm clouds are far behind me now."

The brunette watched the entire interaction in complete confusion.

Stars? A shore? Storms?

The way the two alchemists talked to eachother was vague and cryptic; it left Akko feeling rather lost and left out.

Luckily the sickly old woman noticed her discomfort and brought her into the conversation.

"Tell me about yourself then child. How did you meet my little viper?" Ramzan inquired, shuffling as Sucy propped her up with pillows into more of a sitting position. "This one barely calls home, and even on those rare days: nothing but pleasantries!"

There was a pretty significant amount of story to their friendship: a humorous meeting, a rocky beginning, and a steady middle that they were both still a part of; Sucy would be working on a brew for a while as well.

Internal debate over and done with quickly, Akko nodded, sitting down on the carpet and beginning her story right at the start.

"Well it was a morning in May..."

* * *

 _ **A/N: This was an interesting chapter to write. In order to describe what Ramzan looked like I had to actually take her appearances in the manga and colour them in until they looked right; I'm a very visual writer. (Which might not make any fuckin sense but uhhhhh)**_

 ** _I'm gonna sleep now and then spend another 8 hours staring at the next A Rose in Winter chapter (I must be up to like 30 solid hours of jack shit.)_**

 ** _Pray for me._**


	19. Count Manbavaran (part 1)

_**A/N: Welcome back friends! Apologies for my impromptu break, I just needed to sort out my brain. But I'm back now, with Sucy teeth stuff and medieval shit combined. I'm still thinking about how to properly continue that thing from last week so bear with me and enjoy whatever the fuck this is.**_

 _ **Magicantix: Ramzan is incredibly fascinating! In Sucy's orphan backstory she's probably the only positive adult figure in her whole life before Lukic (but you could make an argument that Sucy is attached to Lukic because of the bits of Ramzan she sees in her.) I think when someone has been that starved for a strong parental rolemodel, they would naturally model themselves pretty heavily off of how that first one lives and acts; I try to show that with the little things like laughter and the way they speak. Thanks friend!**_

 _ **Reynabot: Working on it! o7 I'm really glad you liked it friend, I hope to make the continuation even better.**_

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: Thanks friendo! I agree, cryptic old coots are a key ingredient in any good story. (I guess King Ataas fills that role in A Rose in Winter... Huh..)**_

 _ **Lord Chronos: I'M SORRY MY LORD, PLEASE DON'T SHOW ME UP WITH YOUR CLEANING TECHNIQUES; I'M DOING MY BEST TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE SAND MY HOURGLASS HAS BEEN GIFTED!**_

 _ **Enjoy some spook friends!**_

* * *

In the south western regions of England, nestled in between the rolling pastures and wetlands of Somerset, existed a small town; quiet, beautiful, and to the uninformed passing traveler -peaceful.

Though Glastonbury days were filled with just as much hustle and bustle as other villages of its size- merchants shouting their latest sales, dogs barking excitedly, children laughing -when the sun began to sink below the horizon, its true colours were laid bare.

Doors locked tight- double bolted, curtains behind barred windows quickly tugged closed; every man, woman, and child huddled together in their homes praying to God for the sun to return. Some looking out towards the dark castle in the distance, with a mixture of fury and utter sorrow, shaking fists containing mementos of lost loved ones.

They lived in constant terror of the night, and of the things that played freely in its cloak of shadow, howling and snarling and shrieking in its embrace.

"Tomorrow is another day."

Akko curled in further on herself, muttering the words they all knew from birth, the phrase uttered more often in Glastonbury than hello or goodbye.

Tomorrow is another day.

The sun will surely rise again.

Its all just a horrible dream.

The floorboards of the chapel were cold against the brunette's legs; only the altar's cloth covering offering any warmth or protection from the night.

She had fallen asleep hours earlier underneath her favourite tree, _'just a moment's rest_ ' she told herself; by the time she had returned to the waking world, the sun had already vanished from the sky and every house- even her own place of stay -was locked up tight; unresponsive to her sobbing cries for charity.

"Tomorrow is another day."

All she had to protect her now was a believing heart- faith that this little building was holy enough to ward off the demons until dawn.

Her chances weren't great.

Two quick intakes of air broke the silence in the chapel, the sound of someone- or something -sniffing.

 **"What is that I smell?"**

Akko was sure she could hear her heart shatter into pieces, even as it began to beat faster than ever before.

 **"Simply divine..."** The owner of the voice almost groaned, taking a step across the threshold, displacing the old wood beneath its feet with a creak.

Two more intakes of air.

 **"Delicious fear."**

At that moment, Akko knew it was over for her.

This creature was a spawn of Hell; any attempt to quietly crawl away or run would likely be met with nothing but a violent death, her last moments containing nothing but terror and pain. And remaining in her hiding spot was looking less and less ideal by the second; it could _smell_ her.

No running.

No sneaking.

No hiding.

That left one option- it almost certainly wouldn't work, but she had to try.

Grasping her fingers hard around a brass cross and taking one last breath- likely her last -Akko leaped up and over the altar, rushing towards the demon and pooling all her might into one decisive downwards swing.

 _'Tomorrow is another day... Just not for me.'_

She closed her eyes, bracing for either successful impact or sharp claws across her stomach.

But neither of those things happened, her wrist instead caught in a very cold human feeling hand.

"You tried." The creature offered, dripping with dark amusement. "Failed completely, but still tried." Akko watched the cross crumble in her hand, brass dust sliding like sand through her fingers and into a pile the wooden floor.

Slowly raising her gaze from where the cross used to be, now fully shaking in fear, the brunette looked death straight in the eyes.

Or eye rather.

What looked to be a finely dressed woman stood directly in front of the brunette, a single blood red eye staring back at her, the other hidden behind a veil of shockingly purple hair. It looked similar to her in age, though half a head taller and with a complexion rivaling that of a corpse. But Akko wasn't stupid, this being was probably far older than even the stone walls of the chapel around them.

"It's rude to stare, my dear." The demoness grinned, revealing to her prey a set of inhumanly shaped interlocking teeth, razor sharp and doubt used for easily tearing into flesh.

Akko had heard the tales, read the books, but never in her life had she imagined coming face to face with a lord of the night- with a _vampire._

"Please don't kill me..." She whimpered, her wide terrified eyes brimming with tears. "You can have my blood, as much as you want, but please let me live..."

With two quick movements, Akko found herself flipped around; her back pressed against the vampire's chest, its right arm around her waist, its left holding tight to her wrist.

"A human girl who knows her place and accepts it..." The she-devil hummed, nuzzling her nose against her prey's jugular before taking another whiff. "Intriguing..."

A cold shiver shot down Atsuko's spine, firing off from the point of contact and traveling until it landed somewhere in her stomach. She wasn't dead yet; it was _interested_ in what she had to say.

"Y-Yes!" She stumbled, attempting to continue her ascent up that thin spider's thread- her only chance to see the morning sun. "I can be a- a fresh supply- a constant supply, my lord! Surely blood is tast- tastier coming from a living thing?"

Thin icy fingers gently traced across the girl's jaw, coming to rest on the side of her neck opposite the vampire's wide fanged grin.

"Your pathetic groveling amuses me, child." The demon chuckled, dragging her cool tongue across the brunette's skin in preparation. "Perhaps if I find your taste palatable, you can be of some use to me."

Taking slow steady breaths, Akko tried to slow her heart rate, lest she loose too much blood too quickly and perish before the vampire even had the chance to decide. Craning her neck to the side, the girl allowed three words of calm resignation to ghost past her lips.

"Please be gentle..."

Even after all of her begging and crying, Akko wasn't certain if the vampire would rip out her throat or not, but after the initial sting of sliced skin, there was only a slow throbbing soreness. It wasn't exactly a feather light kiss, the multiple sharp teeth digging into her neck making the brunette flinch in pain, but at least it wasn't scream worthy.

She could feel the cold lips against her, smell her own blood as it flowed freely from open wounds; hear the vampire's throat convulse as it drank deep. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time; her slowly failing heart and mind coming to enjoy the experience despite little voices screaming in horror at her coming death.

But the reaper never arrived; just as the brunette's head began to fog and her balance became unstable, her neck was released; the vampire throwing her head back with a blissful sigh and a moan.

 **"Incredible..."** She groaned, licking the leftover coppery nectar from her lips. "It has been a century since I last drank of a maiden so _wondrous..._ "

Tilting its body forward, the demoness wrapped both arms tightly around a barely lucid Akko's stomach, long icy muscle darting out of her mouth to wipe up the newly forming red beads on the girl's neck.

"You will do nicely." It whispered directly into her ear, trailing chilly kisses across her face and throat. " **I accept your offer.** "

Tomorrow _was_ another day.

When the sun rose again above the town of Glastonbury, and the people crept from their homes like rodents to count their dead and missing, they found doors smashed in, barred windows bent and shattered, and a small pile of brass dust on the chapel floor.

Atsuko Kagari's body was never found.

* * *

 _ **A/N: CAUSE THERE WASN't ONE, SHE GOT YOINKED.**_

 _ **Sorry again that this wasn't a continuation of last weeks thing but like... vampire!Sucy?**_


	20. Polaris (part 2)

_**A/N: Welcome back to sleeping for twenty hours and then rushing to finish the chapter. Good news for those wondering about my lack of sleep. The block hit me hard with this chapter specifically, so it was a very slow process (we're going on a total of seven hours here.) I hope it was worth the wait! Next week is more vampbois.**_

 _ **TheHybridGryph: Indeed, sadly Akko is but one girl, and there are many hungry demons to feed. I'm glad you liked it!**_

 _ **Some Random Dude: Yeaaaaah, I mean becoming the plaything of a vampire is probably preferential to getting massacred by werewolves and demons. The Count will protec her prize.**_

 _ **And... like listen... When there's a ship and one of them has teeth like that, you just gotta man, you just gotta do it.**_

 _ **Magicantix: Thanks bud! I agree, I love that classic Stoker's Dracula and the like, Castlevania: getting really into the creepy horror aspect of vampires that is mostly ignored. Next chapter will assuredly be about the Count's latest catch and her new life.**_

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: Thaaaaaaannk. o7 will do.**_

 _ **Reynabot: Thanks friend!**_

 _ **Void: I CONCUR.**_

 _ **Raphael Antonello: Wow, thanks friend! It's always really gratifying for me when I can get in the right state of mind for descriptions; I can just write for hundreds of words about the most inane shit. Don't tempt me, I already have a fullblown story going but I really want to do more vamp shit.**_

 _ **SamuraiGunner: Next chapter boyo! Look forward to it!**_

 ** _HELLO? I'D LIKE A BURGER EXTRA CHEESE._**

* * *

Akko regaled the elderly alchemist for what felt like ages with tales of friendship, magic, and an almost endless amount of japes. She spoke of the Cockatrice, of the broom relay and Sucy's resulting theft of the prize, of the Cupid Bee incident, and of every other incredible thing she had experienced since that day she fell off the bridge.

It felt so strange teaching a mother about her child, even if they weren't blood related; having to be the third party- the one to talk about Sucy's daily life, it felt wrong.

"Does she really not talk to you about this stuff?" The brunette murmured, fidgeting with her finger tips as she shifted from sitting on her heels to cross legged on the floor.

The old woman glanced towards the door her two children had disappeared through, the older among them tossing a couple of snarky orders behind her as she left. "Granny, don't die till I get back. Akko, don't touch anything."

"Sucy has... always been reserved." Ramzan explained, scanning a few of the pictures hanging on the walls, the red eyed little girl in each smiling with her lips and teeth but never her eyes. "To weather those storms alone as she has... impossible without a few dings on the soul."

"I do all I can, but she keeps to herself. ' _People are dumb_ ' or ' _I'm fine'_ but nothing more."

Akko nodded in agreement with the witch, her own experience with Sucy was similar; analogous to a snapping turtle. It took time and effort to coax her out of her shell, and once she was vulnerable, you had to be incredibly careful about your actions and words. A slip of the tongue at that point would scare the girl off: retreating behind more walls than when you started, angry for even giving you the opportunity.

"Which makes you being here all the more interesting." The old woman half-grinned, giving the brunette on the floor in front of her a once over. "Never in her life has she brought a friend home to meet me."

The sudden realization made Akko's eyes widen ever so slightly. It wasn't that surprising all things considered- Sucy readily admitted to not having or wanting friends until her guinea pig and Lotte raised the bar -but in the heat of the moment as she finessed her way into the alchemist's heart, the brunette never spared a thought to the long standing barriers she must have shattered.

"Well I- uh-" She stumbled bashfully, playing with the hem of her skirt; suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious under the ancient witch's eyes. "She seemed worried about something..."

"We're best friends... I wanted to support her; shoulder some of the burden. "

When Akko looked back up from her legs to see if her words were satisfactory, Ramzan had her eyes closed, her head moving up and down in a continuous nod.

"I understand." She suddenly declared with a cryptic smile. "I see it now: the raft has been long abandoned, the sails taken far away but the map left to rot in the sea."

There it was again, those vague words alluding to sea travel of some kind, except... not anymore? Sucy had taken on many of this woman's traits; her laughter, her half lidded sleepy gaze, but her vague voodoo speak wasn't one of them, something Akko would forever be grateful for.

"What do you mean?" The brunette pressed, shifting back to sitting on her heels.

Ramzan made no move to suggest that she heard the girl, but continued talking anyway. "Her very own Polaris: A shining guide in the dark, a warming sun in the cold."

She was beginning to get frustrated, and was about to say something before the old woman's hazel eyes snapped open, boring directly into hers. "Thank you, Akko." She said simply, a warm smile settling on her dry and cracked lips.

"W-What? Why?" There was very little the brunette could remember doing that warranted such a sincere acknowledgement, and she could feel her fingers itch for something to fidget.

"Simply for caring about her." Came the response, sounding like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Akko would have objected, would have refused the gratitude and explained that it was just what friends did for eachother, but the topic of their discussion walked in right at that moment, bringing it to a close. The sibling she had called James followed in after her, a light lunch in one hand; a steaming mug of tea in the other, its overwhelming scent awfully familiar to the brunette.

Wet soil and sweet flowers.

"Alright old lady." Sucy began, stirring something loud and bubbly inside of the small clay cup she held. "Just a reaction to the extra magic that's suddenly around now. This should help."

Ramzan accepted the vessel when her adopted alchemist came around the couch to the other side, drinking slowly to avoid spilling any. "Thank you, dear."

Absentmindedly offering Akko a hand, Sucy helped her guinea pig up to her feet whilst keeping her eyes on the ancient witch. "Thanks for keeping an eye on her." She murmured when the brunette's ear came close.

The Japanese girl simply nodded with a bright smile, lovingly squeezing her friend's hand when she made no attempt to let go.

"We have to get back to school now; call and let me know if anything comes up."

James nodded, pulling the coffee table closer to the couch for his guardian. "I'll let the others know you came today. Come back soon yeah?" His tone of voice was hopeful, and yet resigned, like he already knew what the answer would be.

Sucy grunted noncommitally, making his asumptions true.

Akko politely waved the alchemist's younger brother goodbye as she was tugged away, but averted her eyes with an bashful smile when he mouthed a pointed ' _good luck'_ and winked.

"Thank you for letting me come today." The brunette murmured into her friend's back on the flight home, arms wrapped tight around her waist. It wasn't the usual way they flew, but Sucy insisted for some reason- making up some excuse about not wanting her head in the way.

Sucy made a confused noise, probably lowering her brows and squinting her eyes; the thought made the brunette giggle softly. "Wha? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

"I got to see a new side of you. I got to learn more about who you are." She explained further, remembering all the little things about that house, and imagining a young Sucy curled up in all the dark corners.

The alchemist was quiet for a a few moments, taking in the words, before a hand came off of the broomstick to gently touch the arms around her stomach. "You can just... ask me about that stuff y'know."

"Really?!" Her explosion of excitement jostled the broom, nearly sending the pair of witches flying into an entirely different branch of the leylines. Akko flushed, pressing her hot red cheek back against her friend. "Sorry..."

But Sucy didn't seem that irritated, letting out light chuckle instead, tightening her grip on the broomstick. "I'll try my best."

It was in that moment, that the puzzle pieces clicked inside of the brunette's head and she understood.

The storm clouds were far away, the night sky was clear. Sucy had abandoned the map to rot in favour of following a bright north star home.

Akko's entire face burnt completely red.

 _'Damn that old lady...'_

* * *

 ** _A/N: SURPRISE EEDIOT, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT YOU THE WHOLE TIME. And then they got married and Akko becomes part of the family._**


	21. Count Manbavaran (part 2)

_**A/N: Welcome back to more vampshit. It's late because I accidentally fell asleep face down in my keyboard and didn't wake up for 16 hours. Rip.**_

 _ **DarkyLonewolf: SHiiiiiit, I totally diiiiid. Sorry friend! You're first on the list this time! Its totally okay about the lack of things to say, my review box is for anything you want/need to say! I'm glad my stuff is of good quality though! Thank you!**_

 _ **Reynabot: I really appreciate those little things when watching or reading something romancy, something as small as holding onto their sleeve, or sitting a little closer to them than anyone else, or knowing where the spoons are in their house. Shits great. Thanks friend!**_

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: Daww utterly achieved. Mission accomplished.**_

 _ **Magicantix: Vague voodoo elder man, you gotta stick through till the end, its part of the job. (Here's the real question tho, where's the honeymoon?)**_

 _ **TheHybridGryph: To be honest I identify with Akko on that level. Sometimes my brain just fogs over, and information just takes forever to get in. That reminds me, I should rewatch lwa with a youth development textbook sometime, see if understanding Akko's brain better makes her easier to write. There will be many more chapters to come my dude, I hope you continue enjoying them!**_

 ** _COMPOUND_**

* * *

Memory was a fragile thing: stopping and starting, different lines of consciousness cutting and connecting all on the whims of the human mind. To the currently fogged and rattled Akko Kagari, memory was naught but a concept: something she was aware existed, but had no personal experience with.

What was 'personal' anyway?

Chilling darkness surrounded her like the suffocating depths of the sea, the weight of the void crushing down against her lungs and heart. She felt lost- untethered, pointlessly looking around at the same inky blackness that existed everywhere regardless of perspective; trying to discern anything tangible from the crowd of formless shadows.

What was she looking for?

Herself?

What was 'self'?

What did 'her' mean?

It was too hard to think about. Thinking was so tiring, existing was so tiring; sleep was better, nothingness was better.

The nothingness was her friend, it would help her sleep.

 _"So that's where she'd gone..."_ A soft voice hummed, ripping through the absolute silence of the void; the shadows nearly leaping away from her at the sound. _"Release it my darlings; Mistress would be quite unhappy if her new toy was broken."_

Consciousness came crashing down on top of her, the shadows having retreated fully like the tides before a great wave. Her eyes snapped open, revealing a very unfamiliar ceiling drenched in the orange light of dusk.

Dusk. The sun was going down sh _e needed to get inside she needed to lock the doors she needed to-_

"Calm yourself! The demons of the night are no longer of any concern. Be still." The brunette's attention was tilted sideways as strong yet deceivingly small arms pressed her to the bed. stopping her from thrashing around under the duvet and potentially hurting herself.

A young girl stood next to her bed, a slightly concerned yet calm expression on her porcelain features. Her short ginger hair was styled into a neat bob, a spotless white lace headband keeping any unnecessary locks out of her emerald eyes. The rest of her outfit was equally pristine, a resplendent black maid's dress complete with frilly apron falling down to around her knees, the remaining stretch of her legs covered with white tights.

There were so many possible questions to ask in that moment, namely why a rich noble's maid was within a hundred metres of her, but the sting that her shifting blankets caused in the side of her neck answered many of them automatically.

"Where- where am I?" She stumbled, gently reaching her hand up to confirm the existence of two circular puncture wounds directly over her jugular vein. They were healed somewhat, raising yet another question, concerning to the length of time she had been sleeping for.

The maid clapped her hands together, her face twisting up into an excitable smile. "This is the seat of our lord and lady; Queen of the Night!" Her lips parted to reveal a set of perfect white teeth, her canines extending tellingly far past where they should have normally stopped.

Akko's blood ran cold; her primal human instincts screaming 'predator'- begging her to run away, fight, _anything_ , but her body remained locked in place.

"Mistress is very eager to see you." The demonic maiden notified, her saccharine grin looking anything but genuine. "We've never had human guests before- you must be something deliciously special."

Swallowing her fear, the brunette nodded, recognizing the underlying threat: her position as the queen's personal blood dispenser was the only thing keeping her alive. She noted the steel bars on the windows of her bedroom, the pair of manacles sitting ready for her next to a lovely scarlet dress like just another piece of the outfit.

"Our lady has already been notified of your awakening. She wishes for you to join her in the main hall."

There was very little in that sentence that made it sound optional, and so, as much as she would rather remain unconscious in the most comfortable bed she'd ever slept on, the brunette ceded to the vampire's wishes and began rolling out of bed.

The girl was still feeling rather dizzy from the previous night's feeding, and thus silently pleaded to God, the Devil, or whoever would hear her, that _she_ was not on the menu tonight.

The halls of the Castle Keep were empty and silent; every corner they turned made the interior look as immortal as the beings inhabiting it, not a creaky floorboard, dusty cobweb, or decorative flower the slightest bit wilted. Out each tall glass window Akko passed, she could watch as the sun fall below the horizon, feeling its warmth slowly ebb away, replaced by the familiar chill of fear.

As the brunette followed her captor's servant towards the dining hall, the jangling of chains from around her ankles was a constant; despite how lovely the dress was, how perfectly the corset hugged her body, how beautiful the castle looked, it stopped her from ever feeling at ease.

But she chose this: life over death, imprisonment over eternal freedom; if the girl wanted to ever find peace, she would have to get used to that sound.

The pair inevitably came to what looked like a secondary foyer, a set of stairs leading down to their left, the hallway continuing ahead and wrapping around the edges of the top floor as a kind of balcony. At the top of the stairs was a set of double doors, voices of vile things audible through the mahogany, laughing and shouting together; the maid gestured to it with an open hand, tilting her head in a half bow.

"Our mistress awaits you. Please remember your manners."

Gathering all of her courage, Akko slowly shuffled towards the door, tentatively placing a hand on the doorknob and allowing it to creak open, recoiling at the sudden scent of blood and decay that escaped. Leaning inside, the castle's new guest was greeted by awe inspiring sight: a grand dining table that stretched the length of the large hall, covered with elaborate decorations and fine linens that at the moment were utterly drenched with viscera as demons of all shapes and sizes gorged themselves on the feast.

At the head of the table, gingerly swishing a glass of something viscous and red, was the house's head and the girl's new lady lord, conversing with one of the more human looking devils a few seats away. Unlike many of the creatures that surrounded her, the Queen of the Night seemed almost bored, the lids of her blood red eyes drooping slightly, making the undying, unchanging vampire look _tired_.

Warily sticking to the walls of the room, Akko slowly made her way to the back, where an empty seat had clearly been reserved for her. The queen caught sight of her just after the halfway point, bringing her wineglass to her lips and downing the entire thing before forcefully slamming it down to the table and shattering it into a hundred pieces.

She did all of this without ever dropping her lock on the brunette's eyes.

"M-Mistress." Akko stuttered, bowing respectfully once at the vampire's side. "I arrive as you requested."

A worrying grin slowly began to part the queen's lips as she wiped the blood and glass shards from her hand with a napkin. "There you are... And already you slip into your role."

With one lightning quick movement, Akko found herself scooped up into the demon's lap, looking wide eyed up at her captor who continued to grin maniacally, grasping hold of her chin.

"Behold, ladies and gentlemen!" She announced loudly, briefly taking her eyes off of the frightened girl to address her other guests. "Our first willing captive!"

The room exploded into cheers and laughter; Akko watched as multiple creatures raised pieces of their meals into the air triumphantly- she saw human arms, legs, and even the severed head of a woman she personally recognized, face frozen into an expression of terror.

"Who knew the devil did favours?!" A lycanthropic man howled, causing the demons to erupt into another round of cackling.

Sitting there, in a room full of the most vile spawn Hell had to offer, the brunette felt her mouth drop open; she would have gone into shock if a cold hand had not grasped her face, turning it away from the sight.

Red met red.

"How are you enjoying your new home so far, darling?" The demoness inquired in a low tone, caressing the girl's cheek. "Is it the horrific purgatory you always dreamed?"

Enjoying the comforting touch, even if it was insincere, Akko leaned into it. "No, Milady. The- The rest of the castle is lovely." She murmured truthfully, looking down towards her shoes where the manacles were visible. "I suppose that's because your demons were all here."

The grin returned, and Akko's eyes honed in on her lady lord's canines. "We keep this kind of mess to the dining hall and dungeons. Even abominations unto God have standards."

She almost laughed at that, but the way her stomach churned drained any possible humor out of the situation. The brunette legitimately wished in that moment for the Stockholm Syndrome to take hold; she was going to be here for the rest of her life- maybe for eternity, and the numbness would help in bearing it.

Leaning into the queen's chest, Akko's eyes glazed as she listened to the sounds of the empty void where a human heart should have been. "My name is Akko, by the way..." She mumbled quietly, not even intending for her voice to be heard over the snarling and laughing that echoed through the hall.

"Ahh... Ko..." The demoness' voice sounded out, as if testing how the syllables felt on her lips. "Silly name, but doesn't take too long to say; I like that."

"Well Akko." She began, raising a hand to beckon a servant to the table. "Are you hungry?"

The brunette was rather surprised by the question, looking up at her captor with furrowed brows. "Pardon, Mistress? I mean I am but-"

"You are here as my personal source of fresh blood, my dear." She interrupted, taking a plate of _actual food_ from the servant and setting it upon the table. "Sustenance is required to replenish blood, is it not?"

"I... Yes Mistress, it is." She agreed, shifting in the queen's lap to sit in her own chair, but before she could remove herself, the demoness grasped her waist and pulled her back.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Yet again, the vampire lord's words made Akko's brow scrunch up, looking with confusion at the pale face that was suddenly so close to her own. "I- To eat my food, Mistress?"

 **"I didn't tell you to leave."** The sudden ferocity in her lady lord's voice made the brunette freeze, swallowing a yelp that very nearly escaped. "Now that I've had you here in my lap..."

"I don't think you'll be needing your own chair anymore."

Akko audibly gulped, feeling the wounds on the side of her neck throb.

"Y-Yes, My lord."

* * *

 _ **A/N: God damnit I love writing this dumb vampire shit, but I already have two active storiesss. Ask me again for more of this in the future.**_


	22. CANIHAVEYOURNUMBAH?

_**A/N: Welcome back to latebois, staring a fucked up sleep schedule. I'm having some pretty shitty writers block right now, so A Rose in Winter continues on a When It's Ready(tm) schedule. In other news this week's chapter is something I was specifically told by Gemini not to do!**_

 _ **Reynabot: I'm glad I was able to provide sufficient chills at the start of what is sure to be a sweltering summer. Thank you friend!**_

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: My main original work has horror undertones, so it was quite nice to get some practice in writing more of those kinds of scenes! Thanks bud!**_

 _ **Raphael Antonello: Thank you my friend! You bring up a good point that would probably be answered in a future chapter of that AU, or in a (HRGGHHHHH) full scale story. I would think that the monsters of Castle Luna attack villages all over Somerset, but Count Manbavaran and her closer comrades tend to torture Glastonbury particularly.**_

 _ **Guest: Thank you friend! I will surely do more in the future.**_

 _ **TheHybridGryph: Shit sucks man, I did it again last night. Thank you friend I'm glad you liked it, it was rather entertaining to think about!**_

 _ **Mekadeth: Hmmm I would have to think a bit about how the whole chapter would be structured, but that sounds like a fun cracky chapter! I'll jot it down!**_

 _ **Some Random Dude: I KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. I fits so well, I would fuckin love to do more.**_

 _ **DarkyLonewolf: Oh fucking certainly my dude, the next chapter that I do will definitely include lunchtime. I hope your courses are going well!**_

 _ **Guest: I agree.**_

 ** _Lol sorry Gemini, you know I had to do it._**

* * *

"Order."

"...Eleven twenty-five."

"Order."

"...Six fifty."

She felt like a computer program, taking in simple orders, adding prices together that she knew by heart, and then spitting out a total. On occasion she would actually move from her spot at the register to toast a bagel or get a lid one size bigger, but for the most part she blindly reached around flipping switches on coffee machines and moving cups. It was utterly mind-numbing work, and Sucy wanted to do nothing more than just zone out and continue on autopilot for the rest of her shift, but...

"Hey there!~"

 _She_ existed.

A recent regular at the cafe, someone who always had their cup labeled Akko, who seemed to come in each and every day the ghostly girl was working; sometimes twice if she was so unfortunate. She was cute to be sure, round face, soft looking hair, and subtle curves, but her personality left something to be desired.

As in she desired less of it.

"Did ya miss me?" The brunette smiled, leaning over the counter into Sucy's personal bubble and letting her long eyelashes flutter. "I'm back for more lovely caffeine and more lovely you!"

Sucy had never been hit on before starting this job; most people found her creepy at best, but she had been very quickly brought up to speed with terrible pick up lines and embarrassing compliments.

"Your usual again?" She droned, trying to remember the woman's ridiculously long typical order without having to interact further with her.

Venti Iced skinny hazelnut something something, she was sure of it. Venti because that lasted just long enough, iced because she studied under a blanket and 'hot coffee would make it too warm', skinny because she drank a lot of coffee, and hazelnut because she liked Nutella.

She would have pondered longer, had there not been a severe burning on the side of her face; Akko's piercing maroon gaze burrowing into her skin. "I can tell you the whole thing again if you need it; I'm in no rush tonight!"

"Yes, I can see that..." Sucy muttered under her breath, subconsciously shrinking away from the overly friendly customer.

"Venti iced skinny Hazelnut Macchiato, extra shot, light ice, no whip."

There it was.

Sucy sighed, turning around to start flipping switches and mixing coffee; attempting to ignore the sensation of eyes on the back of her neck, eyes that occasionally drifted.

"So what courses are you taking?" The brunette inquired as she waited, actually attempting to start a conversation this time instead of mercilessly flirting. "I'm majoring in drama and film myself- following in the footsteps of the great Shining Chariot!"

She flashed a bright proud smile, looking like the first sunrise of spring; a child after their drawing had been stuck to the fridge. It was such a goofy grin that the purple haired barista couldn't help but smirk as well.

More at her than with her mind you.

"Chemistry." Sucy replied simply, answering the question before her customer could get too impatient and then shutting down the conversation full-stop. "Here's your drink."

Akko happily accepted the beverage, taking a small sip before sighing in bliss. "You're a wizard..." And yet she remained at the counter.

"Can I get a bagel as well?" She suddenly asked, her big red eyes shifting impishly to the side before returning to her favourite view with another beam of sunshine. "Medium toasted."

Sucy shifted in place, squirming under the scrutiny; the way this woman looked at her, it made her feels so strange: discomfort mixed with happiness and a little bit of pride.

She felt like art on display.

"A-Are you just trying to make excuses to not leave?" The barista stumbled, kicking herself for not sounding annoyed enough with that possibility. No one was behind her in line- barely anyone was in the shop tonight, there wasn't a good excuse to get rid of her.

"Of course!" The brunette readily admitted, tilting her head sweetly. "Getting to see you is the highlight of my day; I want to cherish it fo as long as I can!"

Damn it. She sounded so _genuine_ , so happy to see her, to readily confess her feelings; any continuing efforts to refrain from blushing were crushed. Sucy's face became tilted with pink, and she tilted her head down to hide her eyes, an action that made her admirer squee.

"Ahh! You're so adorable!" She cried, clenching a fist against her heart. "I think if you smiled at me, I might die!"

Sucy spun around, shuffling over to start on the bagel as her face grew hotter by the minute.

"Damn her..." She muttered irately, cutting the bagel in two. "Damn her and her stupid sweet talk. I can't take this..."

People weren't supposed to call her cute, they weren't supposed to like her smile or want her around- she'd spent her entire life learning that fact and adapting to it.

But this girl...

"Daww, now you're all grumpy! Did I make you mad?" From anyone else, at any other time, such a thing would have sounded incredibly patronizing, but Akko seemed genuinely saddened at the prospect of upsetting the object of her affections.

"N-Not mad... I just-" Sucy paused. She didn't have to answer her; she could have just given her the bagel, received payment, and then ignore the brunette for the rest of time.

"...Uncomfortable I guess?" But she did answer, her voice becoming quieter with each brutally honest word. "I don't get hit on very often. At all for that matter."

It was silent after that, neither of them said a word as the purple barista finished packing the buttered bagel into a paper bag until at last she lifted her head.

Akko stood frozen in place, mouth hung open; her eyes blown wide. "H-How... How is that possible?" She stuttered in disbelief, looking completely floored.

"I guess you just have weird tastes." The barista snarked, flashing a hesitant grin across the counter.

Sucy's job was utterly mind-numbing work; making the same coffee over and over again, adding together prices that she had memorized by heart, and spitting out a sum.

But every day without fail, Akko returned with a bright sunny smile and another silly pick up line to shake up the barista's dull shift, asking again and again for her number and a date.

"One day you'll convince me." She would tease with a genuine smile. "Try again tomorrow."

And she always did.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thinking about it, I just binged a manga about a coffee shop. Why did I forget about it until just now... ?**_


	23. By the Book

_**A/N: Christ on a bike, it's like my block is getting worse and worse. This weekend I think I'm gonna go back to some of my older stuff and continue them, tell me in reviews which one of those you would like to see most.**_

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: I'm sorry Dad, pls don't take away my keyboard. I'm glad it was of high quality though!**_

 _ **Reynabot: Perhaps counterproductive in this season of heat, but I'm glad it made you smile nonetheless!**_

 _ **DarkyLonewolf: Daw thanks Darky! I think the best advice with writing common tropes I can give is to treat it as a stage or framing device rather than the main focus of the story. It's really about the characters and how their personalities and relationships would be similar or different in that environment.**_

 _ **TheHybridGryph: Heh I'm glad you got that, most of my brain space is filled with lines from television, games or the internet. Its always fun to flip flop who is the metaphorical driver of the relationship; both of these girls are interesting in that regard because they can both be either incredibly forward or incredibly shy. Thank you!**_

 _ **IVIT:**_ ** _Gracias mi amigo! Me alegra que hayas disfrutado de mi escritura._** ** _Ciertamente escribiré más vampiros Sucy! (T_** ** _raductores son increíbles)_**

 ** _Text Maniac: Welcome welcome my friend! I am excited to read what you will contribute to our mighty cult! For ideas I would reccomend looking at shippy fanart: it doesn't have to be Sukko but that is an extra boost to inspiration. Oooh seeing someone else's take on it would be very intriguing indeed!_**

 ** _Latebois... Enjoy friendos._**

* * *

"Akko! What's taking you so long?" The alchemist called over her shoulder, impatiently tapping her foot as passing crowds gave the two a wide berth. Any normal person might have felt awkward or alienated by the sight, but Sucy had long since come to terms with and harnessed her natural aura for day to day use. Having to maneuver between too many people was utterly exhausting, not to mention aggravating, and the wider a space between them and her, the better.

Their group of friends had decided to spend the day at a theme park in Bristol, celebrating the end of yet another semester. Of course the whole lot of them had already gone ahead, leaving the alchemist to wait as her girlfriend obsessed over a map of the park, marking down every ride that looked or sounded fun into a comically tiny notebook.

"You know there's maps right here, right?" She pointed out, sauntering over and rapping her knuckles against a plastic holder where dozens of folded maps sat. "We don't have to stay at this big one."

Akko made a strangled noise as a head of puce hair and a large sunhat blocked her view of the board. "Hey! I need the big map; I might miss something with those tiny ones!"

"Missing one ride won't be the end of the world-"

"But it will be though!" The brunette cried out, squeezing Sucy's cheeks with both hands so that her lips were forced into a fishy pout. "I need to go on every single one of them with you!"

Swatting her dearest's hands away from her face, the alchemist turned her head bashfully to the side. "It's that important to you is it?" She mumbled, the edge of her lip twitching up in a half-assed snarl.

Akko pressed her palms together, nodding once with a determined smolder. "Of course it is! The amusement park date is a pivotal part of any relationship!"

"'Lotte tell you that?" Sucy snarked, the snarl on her lips growing into a proper grin. "You know Night Fall isn't the holy grail of love right?"

Her girlfriend seemed vaguely offended, puffing out her cheek. "She's a spring of knowledge, Sucy. Just you wait: when we're ninety and still happily married, you'll eat your words."

The alchemist's body seized up at that word, an intense maelstrom of images and fantasies associated with it assaulting her mind for a single eternal second.

"You-" She staggered, trying her very hardest to not let destabilization be known. "You've thought that far ahead already?" Akko almost never thought further than the immediate future on anything, but already, in the span of half an hour, she had done so twice.

"Don't sound so surprised, Sush!" The brunette lightly giggled, grasping tight around her girlfriend's hand. "This is important to me- _you_ are important to me."

Before the alchemist could bristle at the disgustingly sweet and genuine words, or flare up into a blushing mess, she was dragged off into the park towards their first destination of many.

Tilt-A-Whirl, Scrambler, Abduction, Beast, Flume, Hell's Gate, Beast again, The Corkscrew- _four times_ -Akko dragged her love across the entire length of the park, systematically trying each and every ride. For some of them, the others were present, making for a short reprieve to the frantic hustle, but for most Akko simply moved too fast.

The rides themselves weren't personally all that great to the alchemist, but she was able to find some enjoyment within: namely the lovely sounds of terrified screaming coming from the other passengers.

That was nice.

Conversely, Akko was ecstatic. Laughing and hollering as the pair were tossed and spun and dropped, the bright smile on her face never faltered. And after stumbling off each ride the poison master's energetic partner in crime would excitedly ramble about how 'amazing that was' and how 'numb her legs were', all while directing that smile at her: warm, sunny, and beautiful.

That was a little more than nice.

"Sucy! Sucy hurry up, the sun is setting!" Akko cried, rushing through the now much thinner crowds, the golden rays of the falling summer sun dancing amongst her cocoa coloured locks that trailed behind in the wind.

Their fingers were locked together, guaranteeing a constant mutual pace towards the Ferris Wheel where Constanze and Jasminka were saving their space in line. The larger Russian girl waved them over with a smile, her other hand firmly around Constanze's shoulder to prevent the tiny engineer from getting lost in the sea of faces.

Hoping over the waist-high fence that sectioned off the line from the rest of the park, Akko offered a full bag of cotton candy she had bought along with nondescript SD card as rewards.

Jasminka eagerly untwisted the tie seperating her from the sugary goodness and began to dig in.

Constanze brought the nondescript storage device close to her heart with what could most accurately be described as a swoon.

Satisfied with their compensation, the pair swapped places with Akko and Sucy, squeezing their way past the other couples who all wanted the same thing as the couple they had stood in for. Sucy saw the annoyed looks, felt the eyes, heard the scoffs, but made no obvious movements; one threatening pulse off of her skin was enough to make each of them instinctively shiver in unison and turn away.

Akko- oblivious as she tended to be and used to her girlfriend's aura -noticed none of this, instead looking up at the Ferris Wheel with shimmering eyes. "It's the way every park date has to end!"

The alchemist was well aware of the romantic connotations a Ferris Wheel inherently had; coupling that with the equally romantic action of viewing the sunset together made Akko's impatience at least understandable.

That didn't mean she got it.

...Until they actually went up that is.

Secluded in their own little world, snuggled right up next to each other despite the whole other seat on the opposite side remaining vacant, the pair rose to very top of the wheel, their horizons stretching further and further with each passing second.

The light of the dying day enveloped their pod in its amber glow, reflecting off of polished metal surfaces and painted plastic; an unfamiliar magic flowing through the air around them.

Akko looked out at the setting sun, and at the city its light warmed year round, and tilted her head to rest on the alchemist's shoulder, arms wrapped around her elbow in a tight hug.

Mouth opening ever so slightly in awe, Sucy stared- not at the sun, but at _her_.

Now she never believed in a God of any kind- never saw the point of believing when the world around her carried on blessing and damning people without a care for if they deserved it or not -but looking now, where her girlfriend should have been, Sucy Manbavaran swore she saw an angel.

Akko glowed with golden light: her long hair surrounding her soft creamy skin in a halo of chocolate and otherworldly orange, long eyelashes brushing against her peaceful face as her eyelids sat gently closed.

"This is just like the shoujos back home." She giggled, giving her eyes a moments rest from the constant strain of bright lights.

"Is- Is that right?" Sucy nervously responded, her eyes refusing to look at anything other than the brunette's soft pink lips.

"Mhmmm.." She hummed, an impish smile causing the edges of her lips to pull upward. "And you know... while they're up here the couple usually-"

The brunette wasn't able to finish her sentence, as two slim pale hands grasped her head tightly and cold thin lips crashed into her own.

Sucy simply couldn't take it anymore, the way the light glistened on her lips after she moistened them yet again with her tongue was too tempting. It was like a dream, and she had to kiss this angel as hard as she could before it collapsed and she awoke back in bed.

Forget ninety years, she was eating her words _right now._

And they were delicious.

* * *

 _ **A/N: DID YOU KNOW THAT: Your girlfriend looks even prettier against the sunset? NOW YOU KNOW.**_


	24. Vampshit 3: fuckin disassociation

_**A/N: fuckin hell welcome back my friends! Apologies for the unceremonious break I took there, self care and mental health demanded my full attention. I wanted to start back on something easy, so here's more vampshit(tm). It's a bit different in tone than before, something more akin to a proper romance novel than horror. I hope you like it!**_

* * *

Suns rose and fell, tomorrows became today's became yesterdays, the phases of the moon cycled fully around; but for Akko, shrouded as she was in the suffocating darkness, time began to loose meaning. Whether today's today was yesterday's tomorrow or not lost all relevance within a castle that never changed- even as you slashed and clawed at her stones, desperate to make your mark.

When the pale moon rose and miasmic shadow flowed from corners untouched by light, the castle rippled and shifted like a recalled memory.

The sun may rise again; tomorrow may be another day, but the night will always return.

Atsuko sat and watched numbly as the cup she had smashed in manic fury vanished from the floor and the candles she had watched melt snapped back to their full size.

Ice cold tendrils of blackness climbed up the brunette's ankles, curling up past her chains to hug her calves sweetly. It hurt like the wrath of winter and the acursed fires of hell, but she remained quiet and still, listening to the voices.

 _"Who does he choooose~ The man in the moooon~ When allll the children are goooone~"_ The little shadows sang in joyous chorus, gently nibbling on the edges of her God-given soul. " _He chooses you, little boy bluuue~ , to join him in his tooomb~"_

 _"Mistress is hungry again tonight."_ One of the voices whispered quickly, discordant from the rest who continued to hum along to a tune only the damned could hear. " _No more guests at the party, it will have to be you."_ Another added with the same rushed tone.

Akko hadn't yet fully recovered from the last feeding- most hours of the day spent feeling weak and lightheaded, but if her lady lord wished for more, she could do naught but obey; go to her queen and offer what little life she had to give.

Breathing in a shaky lungful of air, he brunette tilted her head to look again at the candles, flames now burning a deep scarlet. If only her blood would return with each rise of moon; if only the pain in her mind and body would vanish with the setting sun, perhaps she could finally settle in and be alright.

She puffed out a dry bitter laugh, letting her eyelids droop closed- the idea that she could become jealous of inanimate objects, throw scornful glances at walls: utterly absurd.

"Our- Our mistress awaits me." Grasping the fabric of her gown as to lift it away from the ground, Akko gazed warily into the dark puddle of swirling shadows at her feet, holding back the horrific shudder that wanted to shake her entire spine apart. "May I go to her?"

 _"Yes! yesyesyesyesyes! yesss... yesyesyesYes!_ " They cried, their tendrils pulling down and off of Akko's skin back into the abyss, leaving harsh red marks where they touched her. _"Go to her! GoGoGOtoHERGOgogoGO! She will be pleased!"_

With those final cries, the bottomless pit of eternal blackness dissipated, and the willing captive was alone with her thoughts again.

Akko sighed, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself in a sort of hug. Where as the Count at least tried to accommodate her, pretended to care about her preferences and well-being, the other demons of the night were not so gentle.

"I see you've learned to hear them." A familiarly saccharine tone noted from the doorway, her verdant eyes shining with genuine amusement. "I didn't even have to save you this time!"

"They say our queen is hungry again?" Akko inquired, verifying the words of the voidspawn with a second, slightly more trustworthy, party.

The vampire nodded once, giving one of her trademark insincere smiles. "She awaits you on her throne; don't dawdle."

As if she would ever keep her lady lord waiting, even before the red punctures on her neck became her only way of telling one day from another; Count Manbavaran was many things, but patient was not one of them.

The dark of night had completely settled in by the time she finally reached the sanctuary of her mistress' lap, but even as a dull pain rhythmically throbbed in her neck, and her strength faded away into nothing, she felt at peace.

"You're awfully still tonight darling." The demoness murmured into Atsuko's throat, running cold fingers gently across her cheek. "You seem almost... relaxed."

The brunette reached up weakly, joining the Count's hand on her face and humming contentedly. "Bad day..." She explained to the best of her ability, sleepily looking into her mistress' blood red eyes. "Better now..."

A single muscle twitched inside of Sucy's hollow chest, a ghostly warmth flashing in and out of existence in the depths of her cold dead heart. The vampire almost recoiled in legitimate horror, but she restrained herself, leaving only the dry audible swallow of nothing as any indication it ever happened.

She snarled, digging her fangs back into Akko's neck hard, far more than enough pressure necessary to break skin. Her meal didn't even flinch at the reopening, simply breathing with that slow mindful rhythm that indicated she was still alive and somewhat lucid.

Prodding at the brunette's soul, Sucy peered into her entirety, brushing past images of smiling parents and a blood splattered house, turning away from the feelings of young love unrequited and weighty debts unpaid.

Near the very end of the line, where new feelings of safety and bliss were just coming into existance, the demoness found it.

A rose that would never wilt, its thorns choking the life from all things; an apple that would never fall, leaving the worms beetles in the dirt to starve; a flame that would remain forever lit, burning away a hundred homes and a thousand more lives.

But then the storm came, with its dark billowing clouds, black as night: screaming winds and roaring thunder shook the apple from the tree, torrential downpour drowned the fire beneath a lakes worth of water, a streak of lightning as hot as the sun reduced the rose to dust.

She could do nothing but chuckle, pulling back into the world of forms and gently squeezing her sleeping captive's cheek between two fingers.

"How can an idiot like you even exist?"

Atsuko awoke the next day tucked snugly into her bed and utterly drained, her head foggy and memory blank. Her dreams were only snippets, the sensation of cool rain after a hot day still tingling on the surface of her skin.

Eyes fluttering open, the willing captive looked across the room where a beautiful red rose stood tall in a slim crystal vase filled with sparkling clear water.

Not an hour later did she awake again to see one of its petals lying dead on the table.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Whew well there we have it, something nice and slightly less stockholmy than I was initially going for. Tell me how it was? I hope my quality hasn't degraded from rust.**_

 _ **The schedule should be roughly back to normal, with the collection updating roughly every week and A Rose in Winter being #whenitsready.**_

 ** _And now I'm off to watch more shoujo, because it is one of my primary joys in life._**


	25. Life in the Woods

_**A/N: Welcome back to procrastination, staring my eternal writers block. More dragon stuffs this time, with very unbalanced tone because I'd actually been trying to write this chapter for 3 months. Writing is hard boys.**_

 _ **DarkLonewolf: Take ur pills baka. I'm real glad someone was carrying the torch while I was gone! Good on you! If the writers block gets too bad I might end up just hopping off this for a while and starting a whole new fuckin story of vampshit.**_

 _ **Cloy552: I said a little less stockholmy, but it's a vampire romance story, so there's definitely going to be a bit of it always around. I'm glad you liked it.**_

 _ **GeminiAlchemist: But have I ever truly been alive?**_

 _ **Nah man Sucy is the head hauncho. Its the oldey timey times so countess and other female titles carry a certain feeling of being second to a male, the Queen of the Night is second to no one. Kind of like Sir Integra yeah.**_

 _ **Raphael Antonello: High praise! Thank you my friend, I'll try and make the next chapter of Rosebois equally as flowery. Vampires have often been associated with that kind of satanic seduction and mind control; I like to think of it as trickery with the soul more than mind lasers. Tampering with someone's soul is an incredibly invasive thing, and I think all of us at some level fear the possibility of suddenly not being the same person we were before; different memories, morals, and goals. We know who we are, and if that could be suddenly changed I imagine it to be truly traumatic.**_

* * *

Living in a perpetually dark and silent forest alongside a dangerous apex predator required a few adjustments, mentally speaking.

The first of these adjustments was waking up every single 'morning' to endless darkness and suppressing the urge to cower and cry in terror. Though the thick canopy, built by layer upon layer of deep green and burnt brown, blocked any attempt by the sun to cast her loving rays upon the forest floor, she did still exist, and life remained elsewhere in the world.

The second adjustment was reminding oneself constantly that despite the aforementioned apex predator's disinterest in preying upon scrawny squires and generally amicable attitude, she was in fact still a dragon. This fact was paramount, and directly lead into the third adjustment: a dragon has different wants, needs, and thoughts than humans, treating them like just a larger human or assuming anything would only cause problems.

It was because of this second adjustment that Akko came to enjoy sitting quietly beside her draconic companion and listening as she told a story from her nearly bottomless well of tales, built up over the many hundreds of years she had been alive.

Many of these tales concerned the great beast's numerous failed interactions with humans before she found her current hideaway amongst the darkness; her black scales inspired terror in most and contempt in others, often leading to arrows wedged in her onyx hide or blood staining her claws.

"-but she didn't let up; hated that something like me existed I guess." The dragon explained dryly, slapping her tail once against the grass with a grumpy puff of air through her nostrils.

"So I ate her."

The brunette's head tilted dejectedly, resting against Sucy's neck and sighing as she looked down at the dirt. No matter how much her attacker deserved to die, the thought of a knight coming to slay her friend brought up horrible realizations about her own attempt.

If she had not been so weak of heart, so easy to convince or fool, perhaps her life would have ended the same way.

"Hey." Sucy's low gravely tones ripped into her tenant's brooding mind, bringing her back to the silence of their shared forest home. "If talking about this is just going to upset you..."

"No, no, it's alright! I was just-" Akko sat up straight, pressing her index fingers together as she grasped for normalcy lost.

Sucy's neck lifted up and twisted back, her snout brushing gently against the crown of the brunette's head. "Forget about it. Tell me how the garden's coming along."

Akko's little slice of paradise wasn't what anyone would call extravagant. it was a small clearing in the canopy, maybe three metres of light across at the highest point of the day; the thick damp grass had been slowly tilled away with shaped rocks and sticks, leaving behind a rough square of soft soil where their stolen seeds could grow.

Despite its simplicity, the great beast could tell that the messy pile of dirt and it's eventual success meant a lot to her companion; therein making the decision to let Akko tend to it all on her own.

A dragon would be no help when it came to nurturing life.

"I've worked so hard on it! I can't wait to show you!" Just like that, Atsuko's melancholy train of thought was entirely diverted, her ruby red eyes somehow sparkling despite the lack of light for them to reflect.

"...Maybe later." Sucy mumbled, curling her neck in the opposite direction and closing her eye. The brunette oft called her lazy or likened her to a "giant scaly sloth", something any proud dragon would be offended by; she could slay a million sloths in but an afternoon, she just chose not to.

The great serpent couldn't really deny being lazy, but preferred the term 'unmotivated' herself.

"Suuuucyyyyy! Let's go _nowww_!" Akko whined, hopping up to her feet and uselessly pulling at the dragon's neck to no avail. "I want to show you all the progress I've made!"

Keeping her eyelids firmly closed, Sucy squirmed and forced the girl's arms off of her. "I've decided to sleep right now, find something else to do."

"Let's have a race then!" Akko offered, climbing up onto the beast's head to stare at her closed eyelids "All the way to the clearing. If I win, you have to sit and talk to me while I work on it."

Puffing a scorching plume of smoke from her nostrils, the dragon shook her head, sending Akko rolling back down into the grass; kicking up dirt as she landed.

"What do I get if _I_ win?"

The brunette coughed, spinning around on her bottom to face her hopeful gardening partner.

"Hmm..." She pondered, folding her arms and lifting her hand to her chin in a over-dramatic fashion; she already had an idea of what would convince her scaly sloth. "We could fly over to the lake and I could give you a nice bath?"

That actually got Sucy to open her eye, just a tiny bit however, analogous to a human squinting their eyes in suspicion. They were both silent for a moment, two very different lifeforms sitting in a dark and damp forest with only the faint sound of the wind to accompany them.

Suddenly the great beast reared her entire body up to her full height, looking down upon the human beneath her with a far too human looking grin for Akko's comfort.

"You're on."

Sound was rare in the dark forest, a fact anyone visiting for any period of time had to adjust to quickly or drive themselves mad, but at the current moment, with the warmth of a high noon sun leaking through the canopy, that serenity had been thrown to the wind and shattered.

Sucy slithered through the forest behind her tenant, knocking over trees and crushing fallen branches beneath her claws just as the brunette had finished hopping over or weaving through them. The girl certainly had no small store of energy, moving through uneven terrain faster than something ten times her size with giggles and smiles to spare.

"Hurry up Sucy! Or I'm gonna beat you there!" She laughed, ducking under a tree root and twisting around to see how close the beast was to her.

It would be a horrifying sight to most mortal things: an apex predator, with scales black as the void, barreling forward towards you; razor sharp teeth mere feet from snapping down shut over you; but Akko was very much not like most mortal things.

She giggled again, leaping and swinging on a particularly bendy branch, hoping to land on a large fallen tree where she could run without worry of roots.

However, letting go of the branch, her boots did not touch down on solid wood, instead being scooped up long before she could hit the ground by a long spine of black scales.

The ride was far from smooth; the beast's movements swung Akko back and forth as she rampaged through anything in her way, but the brunette could do nothing but hold on and cheer, forgetting the race and the garden and the humans that abandoned her to simply enjoy the ride.

Sucy slowed down eventually, coming to a graceful stop just before she was about to trample their only source of flavour in a desert of tasteless yet filling trash.

The messy square of before had been tidied up, small sticks and branches tied together to make a protective fence and supports for the plants to grow on. Many of these supports had small sprouts beginning to grow beside them, tiny lives lovingly cared for every step of the way.

Sucy could see plain as day just how much effort her companion had put into something as silly as how the animals she caught tasted after being magically enhanced. Humans truly could be fascinating creatures when they had something they truly cared for.

"You're sitting further back on my body you know." The dragon pointed out suddenly and with an incredibly smug tone. "That means I win."

The brunette's mouth flapped open and closed a few times, attempting to come up with an argument before inevitably conceding, sealing her lips in a pout and crossing her arms.

"...was gonna wash you anyway." She mumbled quietly, causing another rare sound to echo through the forest.

The laugh of a dragon.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Save me from this procrastination writers block loop, it is truly hell.**_


	26. wear sunglasses when you drive

_**A/N: HOLY SHIT I UPLOADED SOMETHING. Writing is hard guys, especially when you keep distracting yourself from WIPs to start writing some new bullshit. (that stuff may or may not be posted soontm) Anyway this is kind of a sad fic, based on a dream I had. So if you don't feel like angsty stuff check out my- oh wait Rose in Winter is also sad. Oops.**_

 _ **Also I've been given a suggestion to make an Ao3 so I can actually reply to comments in a dedicated section as they come in instead of waiting for 5 months and replying all at once. So... look out for that? Whenever I get around to doing that.**_

 _ **Read and Respond!**_

* * *

Akko was never a religious girl growing up. For all her-wide eyed optimism and belief in magics and fantastical creatures, she never could bring herself to believe in the pearly gates or fire and brimstone that supposedly awaited after the end. Her mother and grandmother still followed the old ways of their homeland- the latter more than the former, but for the most part she let the world come at her day by day regardless of what higher powers thought or wished.

She was a free spirit, rocketing towards her north star with reckless determination and abandon, loving hard, laughing loud; from her first moments on the earth to the day she finally left it behind.

Atsuko Kagari died in May, it was a Sunday in the afternoon; barely a cloud in the sky.

She was 24 years old.

"See you later Bretta!" The brunette called as she left the shop, waving to the cashier with a bright smile.

The warm rays of the sun kissed her skin as she stepped out from under the awning, feeling the light breeze of dying spring as it transformed into summer. It was a beautiful day outside, not too hot yet not cold either; the kind of day you remember as a child, drawing with chalk on the road or running through the grass.

With a spring in her step Akko began her way down the sidewalk, passing by and smiling at many different people: a young couple pushing their newborn in his stroller, an old man arranging flowers in his storefront, and at least two very excitable dogs.

One of the most intriguing people she met was a young girl with pale purple hair, roughly 14 or 15 sitting on the edge of a planter between two buildings where the sun couldn't reach.

She wore a simple black sundress, light ruffles over her shoulders and subtle lace down her torso, as well as a large sunhat to protect her incredibly pale skin. The girl's red eyes held a weight to them, a deep sadness that contrasted against the otherwise lovely day.

"Chin up hun, its a beautiful day!" She attempted, smiling warmly. "You can always save that look for another day, one with rain. Be sad later!"

Sun hat tilting downward, the pale girl mumbled almost inaudibly to herself. "But what if... what if I can't be sad later?"

Akko blinked. "What do you mean? The sun sets and then it rises again don't it?" Her question seemed to only make the hat tip further down, blocking most of the girl's body from sight.

"it's nothing miss." She deflected after a moment's pause. "I'm just a bit under the weather. Please enjoy the rest of your day." And as much as Akko wanted to sit and chat with the curious child, she had places to be; things to do. Reluctantly patting the girl on the head as some sort of consolation, the brunette continued on her way.

On any other day that might have been it, just a sad teenage girl hiding from the sun in an alcove- pretty normal all things considered, but then she saw the girl again an hour later.

Crouched next to a deathly skinny cat as it lapped up water from her cup, she gave the creature a warm smile before morphing her face into a hateful scowl as it scanned over the patrons of the cafe that sat and smiled and laughed undisturbed. Was she really 15? No, had to be at least 16 or 17.

And then she saw her _again_ , standing at a stoplight across the way, watching the cars rush past with a frown creasing her lips. No one seemed to pay her any mind.

Her hair was so much longer than Akko remembered, had it always covered her right eye like that? How could she have ever thought 15 with a figure like that? This woman was clearly 19 or 20.

Right?

Squinting her eyes against the sun even with her glasses, Akko stopped and looked up at the cloudless blue sky. 'Maybe the sun's making me see things' she thought; she had been been walking the whole way and that sucker was _bright_ today.

Making sure to empty the last of her water bottle into her mouth, Akko ran ahead to catch up with the other pedestrians who were already waiting for the next crosswalk.

There was a screeching of tires and a frantic honk as she darted out from behind the building and across the small side street then-

 _AkkoHappyBirthLookatyoubabybirdYou'regroundedImsoproudofyouLet'sbefriends_

Her entire life flashes before her in a mess of black and white.

"-ey..."

"Hey!"

Suddenly she was sitting on the ground, staring up at a pale outstretched hand. Following the hand up the arm to the head, Akko found herself looking once again into a pair of red eyes.

The woman again.

She still wore her black sundress and hat, still had that same sad expression; Akko never thought about it when they first met, but she looked-

 **"Oh my god!"**

 **"Someone call an ambulance!"**

 **"Is she dead?!"**

 _-like she was going to a funeral._

Creaking her neck ever so slowly to the right, Akko saw many different people all scrambling around, some huddled around something lying on the road.

 **Blood.**

 **A body.**

 **Her body.**

She saw her own body lying in a crumpled heap, blood sticking to her hair as it seeped from a wound somewhere on her head. Her bag was not far, contents spilled out on the asphalt; her empty water bottle, her phone, the book she was going to read that night.

"I'm sorry."

The soft sad words brought Akko's teary eyes back to the person in front of her; to the hand offered to her. A shaky hand- _noticeably seethrough_ -reached out to take it, and she was effortlessly pulled up to standing.

"You died instantly when your head hit the ground. He was going too fast."

The brunette couldn't say anything in response, only stare down at her shaking ghostly hands as they lost more and more colour.

"A-Are yo-u an angel?" Was the first thing Akko said, sniffling loudly as tears streamed down her face. "Is t-that why you were everywhere today?"

The red eyed woman puffed a mirthless laugh, grasping tighter the staff that she held.

"Something like that."

Reaching out once more, the purple haired young lady gently grasped Akko's hand; squeezing and looking at each digit. "I've been watching you since you were born, silently waiting in dread for the day we would meet."

"...The... The day I die you mean." Akko finished, wiping her eyes on her sleeve like a young child.

"Yeah..." Was the only reply."

A large sniff and a clearing of the throat brought the reaper's scarlet red eyes back up to see Akko's face explode in a teary eyed sunny smile. "Well!" She said, cupping the woman's hand with both of her own and bringing it up between them. "I'm thankful Kami-Sama sent the most beautiful angel down to pick me up!"

Genuinely chuckling, the angel in question closed her eyes, a slight tint of pink on her cheeks. "Always the optimist, even in death."

Tugging on Akko's hand, the reaper offered a small smile and began walking in a seemingly random direction as the world dissolved into a white blur.

"My name is Sucy, and I'll be your guide."

Atsuko Kagari died in May, it was a Sunday in the afternoon; barely a cloud in the sky.

From the day she was born until the moment she died and ever after, she was a free spirit, taking the world step by step, day after day, no matter what higher powers thought or wished.

Loved hard, laughed loud, died young.

She was 24 years old.

* * *

 ** _A/N: By the way I love The Bucket List its a good film._**

 ** _Still actively working on Rose in Winter, about a third to halfway done the next chapter. o7_**

 ** _Three other WIPs maybe on the horizon. A Megami Tensei one, a Kirby lore one, and a Dark Souls one. Non SukkoYuri! Blasphemy!_**

 ** _Sekiro is coming out in 5 days so that might cause nothing to get done writing wise lel._**

 ** _Uhhhhhhhh... reviews are my lifeblood even if they're like 4 words long._**


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